


What We Make Of This

by subtlehysteria



Series: Surviving Space With Your Ex-Fiancé [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Half-Galra Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, If You Squint - Freeform, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Season 7 Spoilers, always angst I'm so sorry, because of course I'm gonna write a musical episode, blame Adam and Pidge, major series spoilers, musical episode, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 69,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22803490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlehysteria/pseuds/subtlehysteria
Summary: With the threat of Lotor still on their shoulders, Team Voltron is working harder than ever to build the Coalition and bring an end to the Galra regime. However, tensions are high amongst the Paladins as Keith drifts further and further away.Meanwhile, Shiro has returned and while Adam couldn't consider himself more blessed he can also tell that something is not right. Is it just the fact that Shiro has had to deal with not once, but twice being held captive by the Galra or is there something more menacing beginning to bloom?On top of all this, an old enemy returns and new friendships must be sealed in order to win the galaxy's freedom back. Whether team Volton can handle the heat is still up for debate.Join the Space Fam in part 4 of theSurviving Space With Your Ex-Financéseries as new challenges are met and old bonds are tested.
Relationships: Adam & Allura (Voltron), Adam & Coran (Voltron), Adam & Hunk (Voltron), Adam & Lance (Voltron), Adam & Matt Holt, Adam & Matt Holt & Shiro, Adam & Pidge | Katie Holt, Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Background Keith/Lance (Voltron), Matt Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt & Shiro
Series: Surviving Space With Your Ex-Fiancé [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1174466
Comments: 210
Kudos: 251





	1. What Team?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back!
> 
> Hello everyone and welcome to season 4! I'm super excited about this one! First off, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments, you guys make my day and thank you to those who have been here since the start, you guys are amazing. 
> 
> I also just want to reassure you all that I'm not abandoning this project. I never leave a fic unfinished and I've still got so many ideas for the rest of the series and I can't wait for you to read them! This series means a lot to me and I honestly can't wait to see what the future brings. 
> 
> So, without further ado, here is part 4!

~

The base was unlike anything Keith had ever seen. Rather than embedding itself on a planet to suck its resources dry, this Galra base was situated underwater; hidden for all except the small buoy floating in the endless maroon waters. They’d arrived a half-hour before the ship was due to dock – gaining high ground and keeping a low profile until the target arrived. Kolivan had called it a basic level mission, a quick in and out information grab.

“It must be like we were never even here,” he’d said during the briefing.

Keith had simply nodded, buckling his utility belt around his waist and triple checking that his blade was secured in its sheath. He didn’t know what he would do if he was to lose it. After all these years, it was a piece of him now. It was part of what made Keith _Keith_. Knowing it was his mother’s only made him more protective of it now.

 _“A priority one level ship is en route.,”_ a voice announced over the intercoms. _“Activate the docking station immediately.”_

The darkness of the docking station was swept away when a Galra soldier flipped the giant switch in the wall, green lights blinking to life. This station was old-school from what Keith had gathered in his studies. The harsh purple lines of the Galra bases he usually infiltrated reeked of menace; sentries prowling every hallway, Galra soldiers ready to attack at any second. This base was like the black sheep of the family. The soldiers here were far more relaxed, clumping together in social groups, chatting and laughing while the sentries did the minimum required of them. It made something funny in Keith’s chest twist. In another lifetime, this could have been any other base that belonged to the Voltron Coalition.

“Can’t believe we’re stuck here,” a Galra soldier grumbled, the one who’d flipped the switch. “This base pre-dates the Hyperion siege. It’s amazing this equipment’s still operational.”

“We’re lucky to have it since the rebels overran the Sigma Three Quadrant. It’s all we’ve got left in the system,” his partner replied.

Keith’s lips ticked up at the reminder. After Pidge analyzed the footage of her brother’s escape a couple of months back, they’d realized that there were other rebel forces besides Voltron and the Blades doing their part in taking down the Galra Empire. They’d managed to make contact with a few of their leaders three months ago and since then, having the added manpower had really bolstered the Coalition and their influence. More and more people were beginning to rise up against the Galra. It was a little overwhelming but equally exciting.

The first soldier clasped his hands on a wheel and began to turn it, struggling a little to get through the rust. In the center of the docking bay was an opening the size of an Olympic swimming pool where the soldier had just unlocked the hatch. The Galra cargo ship rose up out of the water, its main containment unit fitting snugly into the docking station.

Keith watched as the hangar doors opened, gangplanks lowering so the first round of sentries could bring out the loot: giant cases of quintessence.

“No doubt work of the Komar,” Regris hissed. Keith had been on a few missions with Regris by now. He was their hacker – quick, flexible and cunning. He had a strong reptilian tale that allowed him to multi-task in tight spaces, his tail supporting him and leaving his hands free to do his job. Keith had only ever seen a few glimpses of his face, an oval jaw and bright green eyes that shone like emeralds. Besides missions and training, he tended to keep to himself.

“How are the Galra still managing to produce such vast amounts of quintessence…” Kolivan pondered before turning to Regris. “Find out where it’s going. Kit, get a reading on that shipment.”

Even with his mask on to hide it, Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Keith didn’t know how, he guessed someone must have overheard Kolivan during a debriefing because now, six months later, everyone on the Marmora base was still referring to him as “kit”. It didn’t matter how many times Keith tried to correct them, the nickname had just stuck.

Keith was about to head off when Kolivan stopped him. “Remember, this is purely intelligence gathering. Do not engage.”

Keith nodded then slipped away, hiding amongst the shadows as he made his way down to the loading dock.

The beauty of a base like this was that the soldiers had become complacent. They knew of the revolution, sure, but those were tales swapped at dinner, my cousin’s friend’s sister’s kind of stories. They’d never experienced an infiltration first hand and their weakness was that they expected they never would.

Keith hid amongst a pile of crates, waiting for a sentry to pass before jumping down and slinking up to a small clump of quintessence containers. He retrieved his Marmora info-pod from his utility belt and scanned the quintessence. The data was sent straight to Kolivan’s pod as well, appearing on both of their holo-screens simultaneously.

 _“That’s impossible,”_ Kolivan murmured. _“It’s overloading my monitor. I’ve never seen these kinds of readings before.”_

Something moved in the corner of Keith’s eye. He acted on instinct, his blade already leaving his hand and digging itself into the sentry’s chest before Keith even knew what he was doing.

He was a second too late. The sentry had already pressed down on the trigger, his gun setting off an endless stream of laser fire up into the air like fireworks as it fell onto its back.

Kolivan didn’t miss a beat. _“The op’s been compromised. Abort! Extraction point in two doboshes. This is a hard out.”_

Keith swore under his breath. He ran, swiping his blade out of the sentry’s chest as he passed. He kept it gripped firmly in his hand, knowing he’d need to use it soon.

The alarms were blaring and as Keith ran down an aisle of crates, four sentries appeared, guns raised. They all fired at once. Keith elongated his blade into its full form, swinging it in a sharp diagonal line through the first sentry. Its gun and torso were sliced cleanly in half. Keith tucked and rolled, stabbing the next sentry in the chest before dodging a laser blast aimed for his head. He rolled again, bringing the last two sentries closer together so that when he rose he could easily stab both in the chest in quick succession. They went down without a hitch.

The Blades’ ship was hidden in a small grove underneath the base, a tubular gangplank attached to an old escape hatch to allow them quick entry. Keith sprinted into the ship, skidding to a stop. He bent over his knees, gasping to catch his breath. Kolivan was there, standing still as a statue. Keith looked about the ship.

“He’s not back?”

Kolivan said nothing for a moment, then, “He’s got thirty ticks.”

Now, Keith could overlook certain things about the Blades. Their training sessions were more intense than he was used to; at first, they reminded Keith a little too much of the trials. He’d had to bite back his fear, ignore the phantom ache in the scar across his shoulder and push through the pain. Now, it was his norm. Because of this, training with the Paladins felt like child’s play at times and he’d had to learn when to hold back his frustration with his team. A year ago, it might have been a practice in futility, now, however, it was simply a practice in patience which Keith more often than not won. The strict schedules and overall militarism of the Blade base weren’t too difficult to get used to. Keith pictured it as the space version of the Garrison and once you got used to the patterns it instilled, you were set. But this, this right here still didn’t sit right with Keith. The Blades believed in efficiency and their version of it had somehow manifested into the idea that if you don’t make it to the rendezvous point on time, then you’d be left behind. The concept of going back for a teammate did not register in their repertoire – it was too risky and they needed all the Blades they could get. It brought up memories Keith would rather choose to forget, a mission what feels like decades ago where Princess Allura was captured by Zarkon. Keith had suggested that they leave her behind, that it was too dangerous to try and go back for her. That Keith would have fit in perfectly with the Blades. But this Keith, this part-stranger he was still trying to re-learn would scoff just as Lance had at the concept.

Which is why when Kolivan proclaimed his countdown, Keith took it up as a challenge rather than a finality. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Keith straightened up and sprinted back down the gangplank. Kolivan didn’t say anything but Keith could feel his eyes burning into the back of his skull the further he ran.

Using his tracker, Keith made quick work of finding Regris. He was squirrelled away amongst the crates, passed out and bleeding through his suit. Keith didn’t check his pulse. He lifted Regris up over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and sprinted back to their ship, counting down the ticks under his breath.

The doors were more than halfway closed by the time he made it up the gangplank. With one final burst of energy, Keith heaved Regris through the gap, throwing himself through the doorway and landing awkwardly on his hip on the floor of the cockpit.

The doors sealed shut behind them and the ship dislodged from the Galra base, taking off on its pre-destined course the hell out of dodge.

Keith sat up, wincing as his hip bone twinged. It wasn’t too bad, most likely just a bruise. He crawled over to Regris and helped sit him up against the wall. Kolivan reached into a compartment hidden under the dashboard and brought out a medic-clamp. While the Alteans had healing pods, the Blades had slightly less advanced technology. The clamp was to be placed over the wound, it helps to staunch bleeding and disinfects wounds. Specialized clamps could act as a splint for broken bones. Kolivan slipped the clamp over Regris’ shoulder where the blast wound was still dripping with lime-green blood. Regris gave a quiet groan at the pressure and Keith sighed in relief.

“You broke protocol,” Kolivan said.

Keith stood, tilting his head up high to meet Kolivan’s eyes. The Blade stood at least three heads taller than Keith which made Keith’s neck begin to ache when having to speak to him for too long periods of time. It was like that with many of the Blades back at the base. Most were half-bloods, but they all still managed to nab the Galra tall-genes whereas Keith was stuck as the shortest Blade to date.

Keith banished his mask, dropping his hood. He relished the cool air of the ship as it stung against his burning cheeks. “I had to.”

“You didn’t consider that something could have happened to you,” Kolivan argued, dropping his mask and hood as well. His face was its usual neutral stony expression but his eyes were sparking with unshed anger. “We would have been two men down instead of one! Every Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is more important than the individual. This isn’t Voltron.”

Keith ducked his head, hiding his grimace behind his bangs before schooling his features and meeting Kolivan eye to eye. “I understand that. In Voltron, we would have gone back in to save Regris. I went back to save the mission.” Keith reached into the pouch of his utility built, bringing out Regris’ data-pod. He placed it in Kolivan’s waiting palm before shouldering his way to his seat at the front of the ship. “Regris had the intel. Getting him and it back on the ship was worth the risk.”

Kolivan said nothing, turning the data-pod over in his hands.

Neither of them said anything about the fact that Keith could have chosen the pod over Regris.

*

Adam’s legs were starting to ache from all his pacing.

“He’ll be back soon,” Shiro said, eyes never straying from the hologram in front of him.

“I know that,” Adam muttered. It had been the same pattern over and over for the last half hour. Keith was supposed to be back a varga ago.

“Adam.”

Adam stopped, looking to Shiro. He was giving him the _look_ , the one that said _stop being a mother hen_ to which Adam replied with a glare because he refused to admit that he was.

“I still don’t know why we let him talk us into this.”

“He’s eighteen, Adam,” Shiro said. “He can make his own choices.”

Adam replied with a non-committal grunt. He knew that, of course, he knew that. But that didn’t mean he had to _like_ it.

“Maybe if he was still piloting Red but he’s the Black Paladin now. A leader is supposed to be with his team.”

Shiro’s face fell. Adam internally cursed himself. It was still a bit of a sore spot for Shiro even though he refused to admit it.

When Keith had approached Adam with his soccer team analogy all those months ago, he thought he’d made it pretty clear that Shiro just needed time to accept his new role and that he’d eventually be able to step down fully from his role as Black Paladin and let Keith do his thing. Somehow, Keith had gotten it in his head that the perfect way to do that was to go on dangerous missions with the Blades and more often than not be late and/or non-present entirely as the leader of Voltron. And every time Adam tried to broach the subject, Keith would shut him down with some excuse that he’s tired or needs to talk to Lance about something or, as the one argument went down, “It’s my decision and no one can take that away from me.” And Adam knew he couldn’t argue against that. With Keith’s growing experience as a leader, he’d gotten very difficult to debate with and it was maybe ticking Adam off a little more than it probably should. That, and made him extremely proud.

“I’m sorry,” Adam said.

Shiro shook his head, putting on a smile. “Don’t be. I’m happy helping where I can.”

Adam nodded. He stood up on Allura’s dais with him, wrapping his arms around Shiro from behind and resting his chin on his shoulder. “And you’re doing an amazing job at it.”

Shiro tilted his head, smiling back at Adam. “Thanks.”

_“Hailing Castle of Lions. This is the Blade of Marmora. Permission to dock?”_

“Finally!” Adam exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.

“Permission granted,” Shiro said. Adam quickly darted to his station, opening the hangar so the Blades’ ship could dock. He brought up the security feed while he was it, foot tapping nervously as he waited for a familiar mess of black hair to appear. The gangplank lowered far too slowly for Adam’s liking then, finally, Keith walked out of the ship, still dressed in his Marmora uniform. He seemed to be chatting to someone in the doorway, although at this angle Adam couldn’t see who, before jogging down the ramp and heading out the door. Just as quickly as they came, the Blades left. Adam had just sealed the hangar door shut when Keith entered the bridge.

“You’re late,” Adam said.

Keith huffed. “Hello to you too.”

“Keith, welcome back,” Shiro said. “The team’s on a mission. Get to your Lion and join them immediately.”

“Shiro,” Adam admonished. “He just got back.” He walked up to Keith, patting him down for injuries. Keith went along with it like he always did, turning on the spot with his arms raised like a bride showing her nth dress choice to her gal pals.

“I’m fine, Adam,” Keith said, voice soft.

Adam cupped Keith’s face in his hands, eyes searching. Besides a rather deep furrow to his brow, Keith was unmarred. Adam scrubbed his hand through Keith’s hair, making the inky black strands stick up all over the place. Keith clucked his tongue, shoving Adam lightly to the side before approaching Shiro.

“Shiro, I will,” Keith said. “But I think we’ve just discovered a new form of quintessence. The readings are off the charts. Kolivan said it could be linked to Lotor.”

Adam sighed. That was the other thing bothering him. Keith’s fixation with finding Lotor was toeing the line of obsessive and it was starting to worry him.

“We’ll talk it about when you get back. The team’s busy helping escort refugees out in the Fim System,” Shiro replied.

Keith let out a low growl. “This is Lotor I’m talking about! He hasn’t been seen in months, this might be our chance to track him down!”

“Keith –” Adam started, reaching for Keith’s arm.

“I said we’ll discuss it later,” Shiro cut in, curt and short. “Right now, I need you to focus on the mission at hand.”

Adam dropped his hand, pushing his glasses up into his hair and pinching his nose. _Please just do as he says,_ he prayed.

Instead, Keith refused to back down. “But –”

“This isn’t a request, Keith,” Shiro said, voice stern. “Get to the Fim system. That’s an order.”

Keith gritted his teeth. Adam could tell there were words desperately wanting to escape but Keith swallowed them down. With a curt nod, he walked to his station, taking the elevator down to Black’s hangar.

Adam waited until the hatch was sealed closed before addressing Shiro. “Did you have to be so harsh? He had something important to say.”

Shiro returned his attention to the hologram, watching the holo-Lions as they approached the refugee ships. “Keith can wait until the debriefing. The refugees can’t.”

Adam sighed, replacing his glasses onto his nose. He watched the Black Lion soar out of her hangar and disappear into the sky, becoming nothing but a speck in the distance.

“Whatever you say.”

*

Keith arrived just in time to pick up his designated refugee ship and join the others in carting them back to their base on Olkarion.

Green, Blue, Red and Yellow had already clasped their ships in their claws and activated their thrusters, leaving Keith to trail behind them.

 _“Well look who decided to show up,”_ Pidge sniped.

 _“Dude, are you even taking this seriously?”_ asked Lance.

Hunk and Allura said nothing, although Keith heard a faint sniff of discontent.

His only reply was, “Sorry I’m late.”

The rest of the flight home was done in silence.

*

The twin suns of Olkarion were beginning to set by the time they returned to home base. The refugee ships were dropped off in the loading bay where the Olkari could start repairs and offload the supplies. Adam was down below busy organizing the different groups. Keith smiled at the sight. Adam was born for this kind of job – organizing data, putting together schedules and getting to boss people around to his heart’s content.

Keith and Shiro were up on the second level, watching over the team. Neither of them had said anything the past ten minutes already. Shiro’s eyes trailed over the scene below, taking in every detail. It was a little unnerving if Keith had to be honest.

“Did you talk to Kolivan about the intel?” Keith prompted.

“I did,” Shiro replied, his eyes never straying. “We need to find out all we can about that quintessence.” Shiro finally tore his eyes away from the Lions, turning a softened gaze to Keith. “But more importantly, Voltron needs a strong leader.”

Keith would recognize that look in a heartbeat: disappointment.

Keith took a calming breath before meeting Shiro’s gaze. “I know that, which is why it should be you, Shiro.”

“Keith, we’ve talked about this. Besides, we both know the Black Lion has chosen you.”

“You only tried once,” Keith argued. “You had a connection with the Black Lion and I know it’s still there!” How could he explain the tugging feeling in his chest every time he sat in the pilot’s seat? That feeling of someone else being in the cockpit with him? It was like a piece of Shiro was still there alongside Black.

“If you just give it another shot –” Keith started.

“We all have our parts to play,” Shiro interrupted. “This is mine now. I’ve come to terms with that. Now you need to.”

 _I don’t believe you,_ Keith thought but would never say.

“I fully support you continuing your Marmora training,” Shiro continued, “but not at the expense of the team. They need you Keith. They need you to be their leader.”

_Not as much as they need you._

Keith ducked behind his bangs. “I understand,” he lied.

*

Adam could tell something was wrong at the team briefing. It had been a week since Keith’s mission with the Blades but there still seemed to be a heavy cloud swirling over his shoulders. Except for Lance and himself, the rest of the team was giving him a larger bubble of space than was really necessary. Adam desperately wanted to bundle Keith up in his arms, to try and figure out what was wrong. But he knew if he tried to force it, Keith would only bottle up his emotions deeper and then they’d all be in for a very much unwanted explosion. He could only pray that Keith would come to his senses sooner rather than later. At least Lance didn’t seem to be perturbed. Even though he’d stick up his nose and huff about Keith’s tardiness, his irritation would later easily melt and the two would be joking around or working together seamlessly on the next mission as if nothing had happened. It was only in these moments with Lance that Adam could still witness a smile gracing Keith’s lips.

“Right, everyone!” Coran said, “Today we’ll be heading to Rhyfod, a recently liberated planet from the Galra forces. We’re going to be giving the same rally routine as last time.”

Keith huffed, crossing his arms tightly against his chest. “This is embarrassing. We’re basically the grand marshal at a parade.”

“Not a parade! But a show of arms!” Coran corrected.

“Whatever it is, this is the second one we’ve done just this week,” said Pidge.

“I know it’s not exactly battling the Galra,” Allura said, “but believe it or not, it helps us boost morale and strengthen alliances.”

Lance nodded enthusiastically. “Right, right. Which is why I say we should go over our Lion choreography one more time. I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time, _Hunk_.”

Hunk pouted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I thought my Lion had more room.”

Pidge gave him a consoling pat on the arm.

_“Shiro, apologies for interrupting but this is an urgent matter.”_

Kolivan’s face had appeared on the big screen, interrupting whatever grievance Lance was about to say next.

_“A Galra supply ship has been spotted past the quadrant Omega Radar Six.”_

“What’s it doing so far from the normal supply routes?” Shiro asked.

 _“We can’t be certain. Taken together with the fact that Lotor has not been seen in quite some time, along with the emergence of this new quintessence, we feel compelled to investigate,”_ Kolivan replied. _“Normally, we’d wait for better intel but I believe we should act on this now.”_

Shiro nodded. “I’ll send Voltron to intercept.”

 _“An infiltration mission makes more sense,”_ said Kolivan. _“We can plant a tracker and see how far this supply route extends. With all Galra activity as of late, my agents are spread thin.”_

“Not anymore,” Keith said.

Adam sighed, already rubbing at the headache that would soon pierce at his temples.

“Hey, hey, hey, what about our parade?” asked Lance. “We can’t razzle-dazzle the crowd with only four Lions.”

Keith growled, the noise low and rumbling from somewhere deep in his chest. Ever since his training began with the Blades, Adam had noticed some new… habits Keith had picked up. Maybe it was just the gruffness of the Blades rubbing off on him, but Adam suspected that it was more likely that by being surrounded by Galra, Keith was starting to inhabit more of their mannerisms. His growls, once like a kitten trying to catch a piece of string, had become more menacing and animalistic. He had become more agile in his training, running up walls and pushing off them at dizzying heights only to land on his feet like it was nothing. The scariest was probably the night Adam had snuck into the kitchen for a late-night snack only to see two glowing eyes staring at him from the shadows. Adam had smacked his palm against the wall, trying to find the light switch as he screamed. When the overhead lights finally come on, he found Keith crouched over the cookie jar, munching on the last of Hunk’s secret supply of biscuits in nothing but his shirt and boxers. They’d both agreed to never speak of the incident again.

“This mission is more important than a show of arms!” Keith growled. He and Lance stood nose-to-nose as they glared at one another. When neither of them seemed like they were going to let up anytime soon, Adam gave a heavy sigh and looked to Shiro.

“It’s your call,” he said.

Shiro pondered this for a second. “How long will it take?” he asked Kolivan.

_“Not long. We must act fast or we risk the ship jumping into hyperspace.”_

Shiro turned to Keith, the decision made. “Go. But when you’re done, meet us on Rhyfod,” he said.

Keith said nothing, giving only a nod before turning on his heel and sprinting out the door, leaving a sputtering Lance behind.

Lance looked to Adam, no doubt for support. Adam could only shrug.

“Tien razón, ratón.”

Lance gave a dramatic gasp, clutching his chest. “Pensé que estabas de mi lado!”

Adam grinned cheekily. “Todavía tienes mucho que aprender, ratón.”

With a huff, Lance stuck his nose in the air and stormed off the flight deck, saying he needed to get ready to receive his fans.

Pidge shook her head at his retreating form. “I have no clue what you two just said but I agree.”

Adam offered his hand. Pidge gave him a high-five without even having to look.

 _Some things never change,_ Adam thought.

*

Rhyfod had really gone all out for the pep rally. A giant stadium probably three times the size of the Garrison had been erected with a stage at the front for Coran to address their audience. The Voltron V stood behind them, changing between the colours of the Lions; plum purple, wine red, sky blue, emerald green and sunshine yellow. Adam and Shiro stood to the side of Coran, watching him give his speech. Coran was quite charismatic and always managed to get the crowd excited and rallied up for the Lions’ reveal.

“Citizens of Rhyfod!” Coran proclaimed through the mic, “On this day, we honour you and your perseverance. Your refusal to bow down in the face of such adversity is a testament to the fighting spirit of your people. You’ve put aside your differences and come together to dispel the oppressive Galra regime! Bringing freedom to all!”

The crowd gave a massive cheer. It was so loud, Adam nearly had to cover his ears although his one hand was held securely in Shiro’s. Before Voltron, before Kerberos, Shiro could easily mingle in large crowds. He still had no trouble giving his leader-like speeches when required but being on stage under the collected gazes of hundreds, if not thousands, of people was a little overwhelming. Adam guessed it might also have something to do with the Galra arena. The bright lights and roaring cheers could easily be mistaken for a bad memory. Shiro seemed to be doing okay, although he’d occasionally squeeze Adam’s hand if the crowd got a little too loud to which Adam would lean his shoulder against Shiro’s, reassuring him that he wasn’t alone. This crowd was friendly, smiling adoringly up at the stage. A few hand-drawn posters were popping up here and there. Adam even spotted a rather accurate rendition of Shiro. He chuckled at that.

“We thank you for joining the Coalition and continuing the fight against the Galra,” Coran continued. He took a dramatic pause, a smile curling his lips. “That began with the reemergence of… the five Lions of Voltron!”

The crowd went wild as the Lions appeared, coloured smoke trailing behind them, painting pictures in the sky. Adam counted them, as he always did, just to make sure everyone was accounted for. Red and Green were twisting around each other as Blue and Yellow did a few flips. Everyone was here except –

“Uh, I mean,” Coran stammered. “Four Lions.”

“Any news from Kolivan?” Adam whispered into Shiro’s ear. Shiro shook his head. Adam tapped into the comms unit tucked behind his ear, listening in on the Paladins. Maybe Keith had kept Lance in the loop.

 _“I thought Keith said he was gonna be here,”_ Lance said. _“He’s going to ruin our show.”_

Adam shook his head in mock admonishment. _Mouse, may you never change._

 _“Lance, this isn’t about just putting on a good show. It’s about uniting people and bringing them to the Coalition to help the fight against the Galra,”_ Allura said.

Lance huffed and Adam could picture his over-exaggerated pout. _“Ugh, fine. I don’t even know why I try.”_

“Ratón, deja de ser una diva y disfruta del espectáculo,” Adam admonished.

 _“Adam, if you’re gonna tell Lance off, could you at least do it in English so we can all be in on the joke?”_ Pidge snarked.

 _“Hey!”_ Lance cried.

Adam chuckled as Pidge and Lance began to squabble, the Lions continuing their routine. He didn’t care if Keith made it in time for the show. What he cared most about was that he was safe and that he would come home in one piece.

Shiro gave Adam’s hand another squeeze and this time he knew it was for his comfort rather than Shiro’s.

*

Even as they were approaching the Galra supply ship, Keith couldn’t help but wonder how the team was doing on Rhyfod. He’d never admit to it, but he hated disappointing Lance even when Lance had to go make everything so much more dramatic than it really was. This is what they’re supposed to be doing; infiltrating the Galra, finding Lotor, not silly pep rallies that belong only in a high school gymnasium. But that tiny pang of guilt would not stop banging around in his chest.

“Kit, are you ready?” Kolivan asked, bringing Keith back to the task at hand.

Keith brought up his hood and activated his mask, giving a thumbs up.

Kolivan took that as the go-ahead.

Their ship’s hold door opened, revealing an endless expanse of black nothingness and stars and down below was their target: the Galra supply ship.

Keith was the first to jump, Regris and Kolivan following close behind. They activated their jetpacks, Keith pinning his arms to his sides and his legs together to create a perfect streamline structure.

 _“Triangulate positions around the ship,”_ Kolivan ordered. He and Regris broke away from their initial formation, flanking either side of the ship. Keith continued forward. When he was nearing his endpoint he activated his jetpack once more, kicking his feet out in front of him and spreading his arms to create a parachute effect and slow himself down. The jetpack broke off as it was meant to, Keith continuing down with his momentum until he landed in a low crouch on one of the outer wings of the Galra ship. He took out his data-pod, placing the first piece on the ship and activating the holo-screen on the second to get the readings. Keith frowned the longer he stared at the screen.

“I’m not detecting any bio-rhythms.”

 _“Could be a crew of sentries,”_ Kolivan posed.

Keith would agree but he’d been on enough of these ships to know that there were always at least a small group of Galra soldiers on board in case something was to happen to the sentries’ main power source. Something about this ship wasn’t right.

Before Keith could say as much, Kolivan gave the order to infiltrate. Keith shut his mouth, gritting his teeth as he did what he was told.

*

They spent a good fifteen minutes searching the ship to no avail. There weren’t even any sentries. The eerie feeling that something wasn’t right was beginning to claw at Keith’s stomach.

“This entire place is empty,” Keith said, turning to Kolivan. “Have you ever seen this before?”

Kolivan paused for a second, seemingly thinking on it. “Something’s not right here,” he finally answered. “We should leave.”

Keith agreed, but at the same time, that nagging little voice at the back of head demanded that they stay. The one that had been driving his non-stop search for Lotor since they first met him all those months ago. Keith couldn’t explain it, but he knew that there was more to Lotor than meets the eye. Something was going on behind the scenes that even the Galra didn’t know about. And Keith was going to find out what. And if that meant staying a few minutes longer on this abandoned supply ship, so be it.

“We came all this way, we should at least plant the tracker and find out where this ship is heading.”

Kolivan contemplated him a moment, weighing the options, before nodding. “Let’s make this quick, then.”

Keith scanned his hand at the entrance of the flight deck, the doors opening. Kolivan and Regris had their blades raised, just in case, but just like the rest of the ship, the flight deck was abandoned.

“I’ll check the logs,” Regris said, jogging over to the nearest desktop.

Keith joined him, rummaging through his utility belt. “Planting the tracker.”

Kolivan hung back in the doorway. If Keith didn’t know any better, he’d say Kolivan was afraid to enter the room. As if hearing Keith’s doubts, Kolivan finally stepped all the way through onto the flight deck.

And that’s when all hell broke loose.

The door shut behind Kolivan, the entire room lit up red as a warning sign began flashing on Regris’ screen. A countdown had begun.

“I’ve been locked out of the system,” Regris said.

Keith watched the seconds ticking down, eyes widening in horror. “It’s rigged to blow,” he gasped.

“The ship’s a decoy, everyone, out!” Kolivan ordered. He and Keith unsheathed their blades, trying to lever the door open. Regris remained at his station, fingers flying on the keyboard.

“Regris!” Keith called.

“Attempting to override!”

Keith and Kolivan continued their struggle, just managing to get a large enough gap to crawl through.

“There’s not enough time!” Keith said.

Regris remained rooted to the spot.

“REGRIS!”

Regris’ fingers flew faster and faster until they were a blur. “Just a few more ticks!”

Keith was about to run towards him when Kolivan grappled him around the waist, heaving him through the gap they made.

Keith struggled, trying to break free to go back for Regris but Kolivan was too strong and they were out of time.

“Regris, no!”

There was an impossibly bright white light and then the flight deck was engulfed in flames. Keith felt his body being flung out of Kolivan’s grasp and before he could make heads or tails of what was happening, something solid hit him in the back of his head. He fought for consciousness, blinking the spinning black dots away from his vision but the dots only grew larger and larger until all Keith would see was darkness and shadows.

*

Something wasn’t right. Adam could feel it.

“You okay?” Shiro asked.

“I don’t know,” Adam replied. “I’m fine but… something’s not right.”

“You mean besides the fact that I’m having to improvise with only four Lions?” Coran gritted between his teeth, still smiling nervously up at the audience.

“Worse than that,” said Adam.

“Is it Keith?” Shiro whispered, just between the two of them.

Adam was nodding before he could even think. “Something’s gone wrong.”

 _“What’s this about Keith?”_ Lance chimed in.

“Nothing, just wondering when he’ll get here,” Adam said, putting on an annoyed air.

 _“You and me both,”_ Lance murmured.

Adam took off his comms, tucking it into his pocket. He brought out his datapad, already typing in the number he’d memorized.

“Why did you lie?” Shiro asked.

“I don’t want them worrying over a hunch, they’ve already got enough on their plate,” Adam said distractedly, eyes never leaving his screen. The green light that showed it was ringing kept blinking up at him, almost mocking.

The line kept ringing and ringing. No one was picking up.

*

When Keith came to, it was to blaring static in his ears.

After the explosion, the Galra supply ship was nothing but scrap pieces of metal, floating in one giant mass like an old junkyard although right now it felt more like a maze. Keith scanned the area, trying to find something recognizable.

“Hello? Kolivan?” Keith tried but he was only met with more static. Below that, Keith could pick out a quiet hissing noise.

Keith frowned, looking about for the source of the noise when he finally realized what it was. There was a puncture in his suit, just below his ribcage. He was losing air and fast. Keith placed his hand over the opening, squeezing tightly to try to slow down the inevitable. If he didn’t find their ship soon, he was going to be left behind and he did not like the picture dying from lack of oxygen brought to mind.

He called out again, but there was still no response. Keith was going to have to search on his own without any clues.

He unsheathed his blade, tying the spare cord he kept wrapped around his utility belt to the handle. Holding the loose end of the cord in his hand, he flung his blade towards the nearest piece of scrap metal. The blade sunk snugly into the metal, holding fast as Keith pulled himself towards his anchor. Now he at least had a lookout point and something to push off once he figured out where he needed to go.

Keith searched frantically, keeping his eyes peeled for his ship. He was starting to panic when he finally spotted the tail end of the Blade’s ship, hidden behind a clump of scrap metal. Keith hesitated, looking down at his puncture wound. He needed both hands if he was going to do this. Reluctantly, he let go of his side, the air hissing even louder now and mixing distractedly with the static of his broken comms. Keith took a deep, steadying breath, ignoring the noise and focusing on the task at hand. With his blade secured back in its sheath and the cord rolled up and tucked away, Keith placed both of his hands on the lip of the platform he was clinging too. Kicking off with all his might, he made his way towards the ship. Without a jetpack, Keith had to rely solely on the momentum he created. One wrong move and he’d be set off course and then there was no telling if he’d be able to reach Kolivan in time to escape. Keith leapt from one plate of metal to the next, zig-zagging towards the ship. He was barely five meters away when a large piece of scrap metal came out of nowhere, hitting him on the shoulder. Keith tucked himself tightly into a ball, taking the brunt of the hit and trying to straighten himself out again. More and more tiny shards were gathering, threatening to send him off course. Keith was tussled amongst them a little more when he finally pushed off a small square that had once been a hatch door and fell into the open arms of the Blades’ ship, the doors closing swiftly behind him.

He collided with the opposite wall, landing in a rough pile of limbs. Keith banished his mask, gasping for air. His hair was dripping with sweat, his throat parched and body shaking. Kolivan stepped into the hold. He said nothing as he looked Keith dead in the eye with what could only be a mix of disappointment and pity.

Keith hated that look.

“Your guardian has been calling non-stop,” Kolivan said. “I’ll let him know you are safe.”

And with that, he turned his back on Keith and went back to the cockpit. Nothing about Keith’s poor performance. Nothing about how it was Keith who insisted they stay. Nothing about how Regris was gone and that they couldn’t even retrieve a body.

Keith slammed his fist against the wall, his forehead pressed to the cool metal as tears dripped down his cheeks, creating dotted patterns on the floor.

This was the first mission he’d been on where they’d lost a Blade. He had a sinking feeling that it wouldn’t be his last.

*

Adam wasn’t paying attention to Coran’s speech anymore. He’d walked backstage, datapad held in a white-knuckled grip as he waited for Kolivan to answer his call. He’d been trying for ten minutes now.

He was about to re-dial the number again when the screen went black and then Kolivan’s face appeared on the screen.

“Oh, thank the Stars,” Adam gasped. “You’re okay.”

“The mission was a failure,” Kolivan said, getting straight to the point.

“I know.”

Kolivan’s head tilted, just slightly to one side in question.

“I mean,” Adam stammered. “I… I get these feelings sometimes. Especially when its concerning Keith.”

Kolivan, seemingly appeased by Adam’s answer, straightened his head and said nothing.

Adam’s eyes searched in the background, trying to spot Keith.

“Where –”

“The Kit is safe,” Kolivan said before Adam could finish.

Adam breathed in deeply, letting it out slowly along with all his anxiety. _He’s safe. He’s coming home._

Kolivan waited while Adam got himself under control, never saying anything. Adam had gotten used to this, having spoken with Kolivan often to co-ordinate missions and to check in on Keith while he was away for extended periods of time for training. In the beginning, Keith would be gone for days on end and seeing as he didn’t have a phone with him, Adam couldn’t keep in contact which of course he did not appreciate. He had continually tried to convince Keith to let Pidge build him a phone but Keith didn't see the point. Adam had even recruited Lance at one point to try to irritate Keith into agreeing but that only served in getting the silent treatment for three days. So, Adam settled for the next best thing: nagging Kolivan for details. For all his stoic personality, Adam could tell when Kolivan was amused by his fussing. Keith had whined on more than one occasion that the rest of the Blades considered him a kit and that Adam’s mothering didn’t help his case. So, of course, Adam was going to keep doing it.

“What happened?” Adam asked, finally feeling calm again knowing that Keith was safe.

“The ship was a decoy,” Kolivan explained, “An explosion went off. Keith managed to make it back on the ship in time. Regris did not.”

Adam nodded along, giving his condolences when hearing about the lost Blade. Kolivan’s lips twitched just slightly downwards.

“He was a good soldier, and an even greater man,” Kolivan said. “I am… disheartened that he is no longer with us. I trained him myself when he first came to the Blades.”

Adam was a little taken aback by the honesty but did not stop Kolivan in his reminiscence. Through these last few months, Adam had also noticed a softer side to Kolivan. It was not obvious to those who would have just met them, probably not even to the Blades who served under him, but Adam could recognize some of himself in the stoic leader, at least when Keith was involved. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time to see these moments.

Before Adam could ask more, there was a tap on his shoulder. Adam startled, swivelling around to find Shiro blinking down at him in surprise.

“It’s just me,” he said, hands raised in a placating gesture.

“Sorry,” Adam murmured. “Sorry, just, surprised.”

“Adam.”

Adam turned his attention back to the screen, Shiro watching over his shoulder.

Kolivan’s stoic mask was back up, the small hints of caring he’d let slip at the mention of his lost teammate wiped away. “I will return Keith back to the Castle on Olkarion. I will debrief with him at his next training session. For now, he needs rest.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Adam said. “Thank you.”

With that, Kolivan ended the call, Adam’s screen turning black once more.

“Everything okay?” Shiro asked.

“Not really,” Adam said with a sigh. At Shiro’s prodding look, he elaborated, referring the information Kolivan had given him. “Keith is fine, but most likely shaken up.”

“I see,” Shiro said.

Adam frowned at Shiro’s tone. It wasn’t the open understanding he was used to. It sounded almost calculating; it was too cold to be Shiro. Adam cupped Shiro’s cheek in his hand, searching those dove grey eyes. Shiro immediately softened at his touch, however, the hard line of his lips melting in a smile.

“Everything okay?” Adam asked.

Shiro nodded, grasping Adam’s wrist lightly, holding onto the anchor. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Have you had your healing pod session yet this week?”

Shiro’s smile faltered, his eyes ducking to his feet. “No… no, I haven’t really found the time.”

“I can help you tonight if you like –”

“No! I mean, no, it’s fine. I’ll make time with Coran.”

Adam startled at Shiro’s sudden outburst but tried not to think too hard on it. Everyone was a little stressed, what with the Coalition growing by the day and Voltron going on more missions than Adam can keep count of.

“Okay,” Adam said, dropping his hand. “Be warned, though, I don’t care how degrading it looks, I will drag you by the ears and stick you in that pod myself if I have to.”

Shiro chuckled, leaning down to give Adam a quick peck on the cheek. “Oh, trust me, I know. Now, come on, Coran’s getting flustered. The team can’t form Voltron and he’s trying to describe him using very bad miming techniques.”

Adam grinned, bringing out his phone and getting the camera ready. “Well now this, I’ve got see.”

*

Keith felt as if he could sleep for a century, maybe two if he was lucky. It wasn’t uncommon to feel tired after a mission, usually, the ache in his muscles was a welcome sign that it was a job well done. He’d put his all into the mission and they’d succeed. Team Voltron wins the day again!

Only this time was different. Because this time, they didn’t win. This time they had lost, not only the battle but someone as well. This kind of tiredness buries deep not only in your bones but your heart as well. It burrows until it finds a place to carve itself and there it will always remain a fixture even on the good days when you do win the battle and make it out with your team intact. That reminder will always be there, ready to rear its ugly head. This sorrow was still raw, the wound barely beginning to heal. As soon as Adam laid eyes on him, Keith knew that Adam knew. He’d wanted to join the call, to show Adam that he was okay but he could barely stand, let alone put up a strong enough front that could hold such a lie.

Adam hadn’t said anything when he found Keith in Black’s hangar. He simply stood with his arms open, waiting. Keith had stood slowly, walking numbly towards Adam and finally letting his head rest against Adam’s chest. Adam had curled his arms around him, saying nothing as a new wash of tears fell down Keith’s cheeks in heavy, hiccupping sobs.

He didn’t even know Regris. He didn’t know anything about his family, who his friends were, if he had any, what books he read or movies he liked. And yet there was this numbing pain settling deep into his heart where the memory of Regris would now forever sit. Keith barely knew him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to miss his teammate. Regris had helped him during training often, giving him pointers to help compensate for his lack of height and strength. He’d brush Keith’s thanks off, saying it was only for his own benefit so he didn’t have any weak links on his team, but Keith knew a mask when he saw one, especially when it reflected his own so clearly.

Now, feeling even more drained after crying with Adam, Keith was shuffling his feet towards his room, desperate for a shower and a long nap.

Only, Allura was waiting for him.

Keith huffed. “Allura, I know you’re probably mad but I’m not in the mood for a lecture so if you –”

“No,” Allura said, “I’m not here for that.”

Keith’s mouth clicked closed. He stood firmly in his spot, waiting to see where this was going.

Allura gave a grateful smile. “I’m sorry, I heard what happened on your mission.”

Keith cleared his throat, ducking behind his bangs. “Uh, thanks…”

“I know how important the work you’ve been doing with the Blades is. They are incredible allies and have been instrumental in our victories over the Galra. And while the news of a new quintessence supply line is deeply troubling I cannot help –”

Keith lowered his hood, taking a deep breath before matching Allura’s gaze. “I said, I don’t need a lecture.”

Allura’s mouth opened and closed, no words appearing. She clasped her hands in front of her, her gentleness from before gone. Keith was now standing with the leader of the Voltron Coalition, not his friend, Allura.

“Keith, since our battle with Zarkon, we’ve been able to bolster our forces by uniting those previously ruled by the Galra under a common symbol: Voltron.”

Keith’s eyes turned to the floor, unable to bear the look Allura was giving him.

“It’s so much more than a weapon,” said Allura. “It’s become a symbol of freedom and hope for the oppressed to rally around.” She paused, waiting for some kind of response. Keith wasn’t going to give it to her.

With a sigh, Allura continued, “I suppose what I’m trying to say is that the Marmora can go on without you. Voltron cannot. We cannot.”

When Keith still gave no reply, Allura must have considered that the end of the conversation. She passed Keith towards the exit, but not before placing a light hand on his shoulder and whispering a, “Think about it,” before finally leaving him alone.

Keith knew she wouldn’t understand. None of them would. What he was doing was for the good of the team, even if they couldn’t see that right now.

_This isn’t a participation game. This is war, and you’ll want your best soldiers on the front lines._

Keith bundled his hands into tight fists at his sides, trying to banish the memory away. Six months later and his conversation with Lance still haunted him.

_Maybe the best thing I can do for the team is step aside._

“You won’t have to,” Keith whispered to himself, a promise he’d made and was intent on keeping.

Slowly, Keith let all the tension go in his shoulders and hands, banishing all thoughts for now. He knew what he needed to do. His team wouldn’t understand, not for a long time, but one day they would. For now, he’d take the heat. He was used to that. And with that, Keith walked to his room with purpose, a plan already forming in his head.

*

Keith was being more distant than usual and it was both pissing Adam off and making him deeply worried. Keith wasn’t a social butterfly, he preferred one-on-one conversations with people he was comfortable with and mostly stuck to the walls at any social gathering. Adam knew this, but what Keith was doing now wasn’t just your normal introverted “I need space to recharge” distance. This was an “I’m avoiding you” distance and Adam couldn’t for the life of him understand why.

Against Shiro and Allura’s wishes, Keith was picking up more and more missions with the Blades. He’d be gone for days at a time, only returning by the skin of his teeth to join Voltron in battle. The team, at first understanding, were now becoming annoyed. Keith was no longer reliable and it was starting to show in the team’s dynamic. Shiro was starting to take the lead more and more and the Paladins followed him without question. Keith was barely making suggestions during missions briefings anymore. It was like he was a ghost. Everyone knew he was there, but they refused to acknowledge him. And even though Keith was inflicting this on himself, Adam could see that it was taking its toll on Keith as well. He and Lance had started to argue more than banter again and Adam could see the pain in Keith's eyes the one time Lance hit a cord. They'd barely looked each other in the eye for the rest of the day and when Keith left for a week without a word, Pidge and Hunk didn’t even notice until they had already hit day five.

To make matters worse, Shiro had been visiting Black. Each night, after supper, Shiro excused himself from the table without saying where he was going. The team didn't think much of it, but Adam knew something was up the first time Shiro made his half-hearted excuses. Adam had hacked into the Castle’s security feed, flicking through the screens until he spotted Shiro heading towards Black’s hangar. He’d switched screens, watching Shiro approach Black. She’d stay standing, her chin tilted up proudly, eyes blank. And Shiro would just stand there, staring at her. Sometimes it was for ten minutes, others half a varga. One time he was there for nearly two hours. And not once did Black bend down and open her jaw for Shiro. Not so much as a glint in her dull eyes.

Adam didn’t know how to approach Shiro on the subject. He knew that watching Shiro behind his back was unhealthy but he couldn’t help but worry. Ever since he’d returned, Shiro had seemed… different. Adam was trying to be understanding. He couldn’t imagine the pain Shiro endured the first time he was captured, let alone what trauma the second entailed. There were some moments when Shiro was himself, awful dad jokes and stuttering shyness, a great leader with a kind heart. And then there were other moments where Adam didn’t know who he was looking at. It scared him. But there was a small part of Adam that told him he should be grateful Shiro was here at all. That he had the chance to hold him in his arms at night, to kiss him and poke fun at him and embarrass Keith with him. But there was still that nagging sense that something was wrong. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Adam always hated not knowing things.

*

Everyone was relaxing in the common room when the alarms went off. The Paladins had just finished escorting refugee supply pods to Olkari and were catching up on some well-deserved downtime. Pidge sat with her laptop in her lap and the caterpillars cuddled up to her while Lance strummed lazily on his guitar. Hunk was having a catnap and Adam was scrolling through his phone, watching some of the old videos of him, Shiro and Keith when they were still living together.

And then the alarms came.

Adam sighed, tucking his phone away. Lance looked equally disappointed.

“Aw man, I was just starting to get my chill on!”

“Coran, what’s happening?” Adam asked.

A screen popped up, showing Allura, Coran and Shiro gathered together on the flight deck.

“We’ve received a distress signal,” Coran said. “One of the rebel convoys has been ambushed by a squadron of Galra cruisers.”

“They are our medical supply ships. We can’t allow the Galra to get them,” Shiro said.

“We must move out now,” Allura added. “Voltron can keep the squadron at bay long enough for the convoy to make their escape.”

Pidge raised her hand, jumping in her seat to grab Allura’s attention. “Yeah, great plan except for the fact that we can’t form Voltron. Keith’s not here.”

“He’s on a mission,” Adam argued.

“When isn’t he?” Pidge snipped back.

Adam glared knives at her. He was not up for this bullshit today.

“Guys, focus,” said Shiro. “You’ll have to go without Keith. Adam, try to get into contact with Kolivan. The rest of you, head out.”

With a chorus of “yes sirs!” the Paladins were out of their seats and heading towards the armoury, preparing for battle. Adam brought out his datapad, Kolivan’s number already half typed out before Shiro was even finished giving his marching orders.

It rings. And its rings. And it rings.

There's no answer.

“Adam –”

“I’m trying,” Adam bit back. He was up and out of his seat, walking towards the exit that would lead him to the flight deck by memory, eyes never leaving his screen. “I’m coming up to you. I’ll keep trying.” He did not wait for Shiro’s response, the door to the common shutting behind him.

*

By the time Adam reached the flight deck, there had still been no answer. What was worse: the Paladins were being pulverized.

Lance was leading as best he could in Keith’s absence, but with only four Lions, there’s only so much ground they can cover. With the Castle now a permanent fixture on Olkarion, the only way they can keep in touch with the Paladins is through the comms link and video call, not that watching the inside of the Lions’ cockpits gives any indication of the actual battle. There’s also the holo-screen which can give a rough estimate of the Lions and any other ships in their radars but it’s not the same as knowing you’re a few ticks away from stepping in when you need to.

Adam clutched his datapad to his chest, dialling Kolivan’s number again and again as he heard the Paladins struggle against the Galra.

What was once only three battlecruisers had now been upped to eight. And that didn't even include all the fighter jets swarming around them. Adam could only watch the holo-screen in horror as the Lions struggled to keep ground. Only minutes in, and Adam already knew that they were fighting a losing battle. Unless they could form Voltron, Adam couldn't see any possible way for the entire team as well as the rebels to make it out of there in one piece. By the grim look on Shiro’s face, he knew it too.

Before Adam could say anything, Shiro turned sharply on his heel and sprinted to Keith’s station.

“Shiro?”

“I’m going out there.”

“Wha – but Black –”

“I have to try,” Shiro said and Adam knew by the look in Shiro’s eye that he was going to help one way or another. Shiro could be stubborn like that.

Adam nodded. “Okay. And Shiro?”

Shiro hesitated, waiting.

Adam gave him a tiny, reassuring smile. “Be careful.”

Shiro matched his smile. “You know that never works on me.”

“And yet I still say it every time,” Adam replied with a shrug.

The Black Paladin’s station began its descent, Shiro disappearing into the depths of the Castle.

Adam crossed his fingers and held his thumbs, still re-dialling Kolivan’s number over and over.

“Please, let this work,” he prayed. Repeating it in English, then Spanish and Altean for good measure.

_Please to the Stars and Ancients above, keep them safe._

The rest was up to them.

*

Shiro had been wanting to do this for a long time. Every night, he’d come to visit Black in her hangar, hoping to catch even just a glint of recognition in her eyes. And he’d always be met with nothing. Now, here he sat, once more in his old pilot seat that felt more like home than anywhere else in the world. Well, except for Adam.

The last time he tried this was over six months ago. It feels like years. And back then, Black had not awoken. He did not feel even the tiniest of tugs of their old connection. It was like the phone line had been cut mid-conversation and now Shiro would never know the rest of Black’s story.

Even as he sat there, he could hear his teammates' cries through his helmet comms. He gritted his teeth, feeling their pain with every hit they sustained. Their hurt was what fueled him. It was why he became a leader – because he wanted to help others. And that started first with his team, his family.

_“They’re dead in the water –”_

_“I can’t get to them –”_

_“There’s too many –”_

_“We need Voltron –”_

_“Where is Keith?!”_

“Please,” Shiro whispered, begging Black to listen. “People’s lives are at stake. You trusted me once. Now, please, _please_ , trust me again.”

Nothing. No roar, no flicker of purple light, not even a tug at their connection.

Shiro hung his head in defeat, trying to control his breathing.

Then, faintly, something shone in the corner of his eye.

Shiro’s head shot up, eyes focusing on the tiny, sputtering light on his console.

As he watched, the light grew stronger until the holo-screens began appearing one by one, frazzled and unclear at first, but becoming clearer with every beat of Black’s heart. Because that was what was happening – her heart was re-starting and its pulse matched Shiro’s.

The black tint of Black’s windshield disappeared, allowing Shiro a clear vision of the hangar. There was a stutter in his chest and then he could feel it. Their connection had returned.

Black let out an echoing roar and Shiro cheered alongside her. He’d only ever dreamed that he’d be able to pilot her again, be the leader he knew he was supposed to be. This was literally a dream come true.

Shiro leaned forward on the edge of his seat, grasping Black’s controls with a smile.

“Now, let’s go save our family.”

*

Adam felt it before he heard the roar. He knew, without knowing how, that Shiro had done it.

He’d rebuilt his connection with Black.

Coran let out a whooping cheer as Black flew out her hangar doors and towards the rest of her pride. Adam stood rooted to the spot, mouth agape in shock and awe, datapad still ringing, ringing, ringing, unanswered.

“He did it,” Adam whispered.

“Yes! He did it!” Coran crowed, gathering Adam in a strangling side-hug. “By the Ancients, it's a miracle.”

“Yeah, let’s call it that,” Adam said, still in shock.

It didn’t make sense. Black had given no sign of even noticing Shiro all those nights he visited her. So why now?

The cheers of the Paladins brought Adam out of his stupor. He watched the hologram as Black entered the fray. It was like the Lions had been given a burst of invincibility. Everyone was renewed, taking out the fighter jets on each other tails before coming together with Shiro’s cry of “Form Voltron!”

The rest was simply routine. The Paladins worked together seamlessly, taking out battlecruiser after battlecruiser, spreading the fighter jets out thin so they couldn’t charge in large numbers. And in the blink of an eye, the battle was over. Voltron had won.

 _“Rebel crafts,”_ Shiro said, addressing the rebels, _“you’re safe. We’ll escort you the rest of the way to Olkarion.”_

Adam watched as Voltron and the rebel convoy joined together before the holo-screen disappeared. Coran was sitting slumped against his station, clutching his chest in relief. He had the biggest grin on his face.

Adam was about to call him out on it when he felt a vibration against his chest. He was still clutching his datapad. He looked down at the screen. He was getting a call from an unknown number that he knew by heart. He couldn’t press the ANSWER CALL button fast enough.

The screen blackened and then opened up to a scowling Kolivan.

“Adam, I know that we have an understanding but –”

“Put Keith on, now.”

Kolivan’s ears flattened, whether in surprise or distress, Adam didn’t know or really have the time to care.

“Very well,” Kolivan said. He called out to someone in the background and then Kolivan was gone, replaced with a ruddy-cheeked Keith.

“Adam, what’s going on? You called a hundred and twenty-two times, that’s a new record –”

“Shiro’s piloting Black.”

That stopped Keith dead in his tracks. His brows furrowed. “What?”

“Shiro is piloting Black,” Adam replied, nodding his head as if that will somehow convince himself as well.

“H-how?” Keith stammered.

“There was a battle,” Adam said, “A convoy was in trouble and the Lions went to help but there was too many of them. They… Keith, I was really scared.”

Keith’s face was schooled to an eerily blank look. Adam tried desperately to read his eyes but for the life of him, couldn’t glean anything.

“Are they okay?” Keith asked.

“Y-yeah. Yeah. Shiro – Shiro made it in time.”

“And did they –?”

“They formed Voltron.”

Keith gave a stiff nod. “Right. Right. That’s… that’s good.”

Adam could feel his anger beginning to curl deep within his chest, the flames licking up his throat. He was about ready to chew Keith out but the look on Keith’s face stopped him. The blank mask had cracked, just slightly, to reveal a look of absolute pain. Pain and… relief.

“Keith,” Adam whispered. “What’s going on?”

Keith shook himself, his blank mask back on. “I’ll be there in the next half varga.”

And before Adam could say more, the line was cut off, his screen going dark.

He looked back to Coran who seemed equally as puzzled as Adam. He could only offer a shrug.

Adam clutched the datapad tightly to his chest, resisting the urge to throw it on the floor and stomp it to death.

“What in the ever-loving quiznack is happening!?” he yelled.

*

Keith thought he was prepared for what was about to happen. He’d gotten used to the looks his teammates now gave him every time he so much as entered a room. It hurt, feeling like another arrowhead digging into his back, but he could take it. That’s what he told himself anyway.

But this… this was Earth-shattering.

He’d entered the bridge, apology on his tongue but the words immediately halted, climbing back down his throat and nearly causing him to choke.

Everyone was glaring at him. It wasn’t the irritancy and flippant remarks he’d grown accustomed to over the last few months. This felt like pure hatred.

“I –” Keith stammered. He didn’t know where to look. Adam’s gaze was less heated than the others’, but he could still feel waves of disappointment rolling off him. It made Keith’s stomach churn.

“I heard what happened,” Keith finished lamely, ducking his head to hide behind his bangs. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.”

“You keep saying that!”

Keith’s head shot up, eyes locking with Allura’s ice-cold gaze.

“You keep saying sorry but your actions say otherwise,” she bit out. “Do you realize that your absence put the team in jeopardy?”

“And not just the team, the refugees as well!” Lance added.

Keith gritted his teeth, baring the cinderblocks of guilt piling upon his shoulders. It was one thing to hear it from Allura, for Adam to be disappointed. But Lance? Stars, Keith couldn’t even begin to explain the pain it brought to let Lance down.

“As a matter of fact, the entire quadrant was in danger,” said Pidge, her tone icy and hardened.

Keith gathered what pieces of his strength he had left and lifted his head, meeting each of his teammates in the eye. “This is not how I wanted this to happen. But… if there’s a bright side to any of this, it’s that my absence allowed Shiro to reestablish his bond with Black. He can finally be the leader I was unable to be –”

“Keith,” Adam started, but Keith ignored him. He couldn’t let Adam get a word in edgewise otherwise he’d never be able to muster the strength to do this again.

“I’m not meant to pilot the Black Lion,” Keith said, speaking over Adam.

Adam’s look was pained, but he closed his mouth, shaking his head only.

“Is that why you’ve been pulling away from us?” Allura asked.

“Yeah,” Keith said. He could own up to it now and hopefully, in doing so, his teammates could learn to forgive him eventually. “I suppose that’s part of it.”

“What’s the other part?” Hunk asked. His anger had dissipated, curiosity and concern now pulling his brows together in a thoughtful frown.

“The Blades have been making real progress in tracking the source of this new quintessence. They’ve even been able to piece together a large network of hidden supply lines that have been secretly transferring them for who knows how long,” said Keith, growing surer with every word. The hard part was over. It shouldn’t take too much convincing now.

“And there’s good reason to believe it could lead us directly to Lotor,” Keith added. “A mission is being planned to infiltrate the supply line. It could take weeks, maybe months to pull off but if there is a chance we have… I have to take it. I need to be on that mission.”

Keith risked another look. Like Hunk, the rest of his team’s anger had begun to melt. Pidge was fidgeting with her glasses, looking uncertain, Allura’s ice-shot eyes cooling to their warmer, pinker tones. Adam and Shiro looked much the same: worried and a little angry but mostly just worried. And then there was Lance. He was burning holes into Keith’s cheek, eyes not fulling meeting his, but there was still a determination there. Keith couldn’t get a proper reading on him. All he knew was that whatever Lance was feeling, it was strong, overwhelmingly so.

Keith took another breath, feeling steadier on his feet now. “Shiro, you are the rightful leader of this team and you proved it today by re-connecting with Black. She was always meant to be with you.”

There was a deafening silence. Keith waited for angry shouts or backs to be turned. Waited to be chased out the flight deck and asked to never come back. Instead, Shiro approached him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Keith,” he said. “If this is what you feel is right, then we won’t try to stop you. Just know that we’re here for you whenever you need us.”

Keith cleared his throat, trying to hold back the tears beginning to sting at the back of his eyes. Until Voltron, he’d never been much of a crier. He didn’t see the point. But after fighting alongside this team, after forming a new family for himself, winning and losing battles together, making new friends which he never thought was possible. All those emotions had to go somewhere.

Keith’s voice was watery as he smiled up at Shiro and said, “I know that. And I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

Shiro returned his smile before bundling Keith up in his arms. Keith settled easily against Shiro’s broad chest, enjoying the embrace. Keith felt something attach itself to his left side and looked up to see Adam embracing them both.

“You little shit,” Adam said. “You just had to go and make me worry.”

“I’m sorry,” Keith said.

Adam sniffed before ruffling Keith’s hair. “I forgive you. For now.”

“Oh man, I can’t be left out of this!”

Keith could hear a chorus of running footsteps, all heading towards him and then suddenly he was engulfed in the biggest group hug he’d ever experienced. Pidge was gripping his waist, wiping at the tears gathering behind her glasses while Hunk embraced the lot of them, his arms long enough to do so. Coran and Allura squeezed in on Shiro’s other side and to Keith’s left was Lance. His chin was hooked on Keith’s shoulder, his one arm braced around his shoulders. He was smiling. Keith could count his freckles they were so close.

“We’re really gonna miss you,” Pidge muttered into his chestplate. “Also… sorry for being all… that.”

Keith freed one of his hands, scrubbing Pidge’s mop of curls. “It’s okay, I’d be angry at me too.”

“Just know that we care for you, Keith,” Allura said.

“Yeah, man,” Hunk sniffled. “You’re family.”

“And know that you’ll always be welcome,” Coran added.

“Who’s gonna watch my back, huh, samurai?” Lance whispered into his ear.

Keith repressed a shiver, turning so he could meet Lance eye-to-eye. “You’ve got a whole team of Paladins to look after you. Don’t worry.”

“And who’s gonna look after you?” Lance joked although they both knew there was a seriousness to the question as well.

Keith didn’t know how to reply, so he only smiled and rested his temple against Lance’s, savouring his warmth.

He kept trying to convince himself that this is what he wanted, that the team would be fine without him but standing here with his family surrounding him, their warmth and smiles and kind words causing his heart to race, Keith couldn’t help but hear a small little voice in head whisper, _be careful what you wish for._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... all aboard the angst train anyone? I am sorry about this. I hated Keith leaving the team the first time I watched it but I do feel in the long run it's important for his character growth. Also, I promise, at the end of this fic I'm going to be posting a bonus fic that is full-on Klance content. There will be so much pining anf fluff, you're gonna love it. Can you guys guess what kind of fic it might be?
> 
> The idea of Keith's glow-in-the-dark eyes came from a VLD headcanon post as well as some awesome art that I can't find right now but as soon as I do I'll put in a link because its hilarious and the art is amazing!
> 
> SPANISH TRANSLATION
> 
> Tien razón, ratón – He’s right, mouse
> 
> Pensé que estabas de mi lado! – I thought you were on my side!
> 
> Ratón, deja de ser una diva y disfruta del espectáculo – Mouse, stop being a diva and enjoy the show
> 
> If anything is wrong feel free to correct me!


	2. While We Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Pidge is away on a solo mission the rest of Team Voltron try keep themselves occupied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, long time no see! 
> 
> I'm so sorry for the wait, school has been eating up all my time both physically and emotionally. With all the uni's going on temporary break I've finally had some time to sit down and write, so that's one nice thing at least during all this mess. Hope you're staying safe and healthy and that you enjoy the new chapter! I'm afraid it is a bit of filler chapter since most of the original episode is Pidge searching for Matt but I hope you like it all the same!

Acxa would never consider herself nervous whenever she was in Prince Lotor’s presence. More alert, yes. Engaged, definitely. Afraid, hardly ever. But nervous? The thought never even crossed her mind. Lotor had seen potential in her where others saw only an abomination. He offered Acxa the chance to lead where others expected her to blindly follow. So, when he had explained his plan to her, Acxa took it in stride and worked alongside him to see it through. Their previous mission in retrieving the remaining part of the Teleduv had been a failure so she had to make up for it now in any way she could. She refused to let Lotor down.

Which is why when Haggar demanded to see him, Acxa said she would collect him. The rest of Lotor’s generals were the closest thing to a family she had. Living together in such close quarters for so long, you begin to understand even the most minute of movements. The irritable flick of Zethrid’s ear when she didn’t understand something, how Ezor’s cheeks blushed green when she was upset, Narti’s tail wagging slightly when she is excited. So, as Haggar stared down at them from her screen, Acxa knew by the looks on her general’s faces that they did not want to be the ones to call upon Lotor.

“I will bring him,” Acxa announced, turning sharply on her heel and heading out before anyone could so much as breathe a sigh of relief.

She found him easily enough. He was in the workshop, overlooking his project with keen eyes. His uniform had not a single wrinkle, his long silver-white hair immaculate, not a hair out of place. Lotor believed in the power of appearances. It was why he had new uniforms and ships tailored to his design. He was Galra but he did not want to be associated with Zarkon’s lot.

“I am not a barbarian,” he’d replied when Ezor questioned him on it once.

Now, even with just him in the room, he stood tall and regal. One could never question the air of power he radiated.

Acxa stopped just short of a meter away from him, keeping a professional distance.

“Prince Lotor, High Priestess Haggar requires your presence.”

If Acxa had not known him all these years, she would not have noticed the minor tensing of his shoulders at the mention of the witch. When he turned, however, his face was a perfect portrait of calm. “Very well,” he drawled before starting towards the exit.

Acxa kept an eye on him the entire walk there, trying to read his mood. Lotor was good at hiding his feelings. Some would consider this an excellent quality in a leader, especially those in the Galra race. To them, emotion was just another word for weakness. Lotor did not believe in such a statement, Acxa knew that much. So why he always kept such an air of calm even when no one was there to see it, she could not understand. Perhaps it was ingrained in him at a young age with him being the heir to the Galra throne. Some habits will always remain no matter how hard you try to break them.

Lotor did not so much as bat an eyelid at Haggar when he entered the bridge. He gave each of his generals a nod to which they returned before sweeping the back of his coat up and sitting down gracefully on his make-shift throne. It was nothing fancy like Emperor Zarkon’s, just a simple high-backed chair but it was the way Lotor seemed to fill the space, back straight, chin tilted, head poised. He could have made a ratty couch look like a throne.

Only once he was settled did Lotor finally acknowledge Haggar.

“Yes?”

“Lotor,” Haggar rasped. “While you distance yourself from central command, rebel forces have taken entire star systems from our hands.”

Lotor let out a barely-audible huff through his nose. “You think clutching to worthless outposts strengthens our empire?”

“Your father knew that those outposts would one day become strongholds.”

“My father is on his deathbed and I am in control,” Lotor said. There was not the least bit remorse in his tone.

“You say you rule yet you stay hidden,” Haggar said, ignoring Lotor’s quip. “An emperor must be seen. His absence diminishes his power and –”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you. Now do not bother me again.” The screen blinked out at the irritable flick of Lotor’s fingers. He placed his chin on his fist, contemplating.

Kova jumped off Narti’s shoulders and slinked over to Lotor, leaping up onto the arm of his chair to rub his head against Lotor’s cheek. Lotor’s lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles. He stroked Kova who gave off a rumbling purr. Narti stayed where she was, still as a statue while her companion kept Lotor company.

Acxa did not know the full extent of the two’s relationship. Before joining the generals, Narti had been scavenging for scraps on her home planet. Having been blinded at a young age, survival had been made difficult for her. The species that inhabited the planet before the Galra had made base there were not born with vocal cords. From what Acxa understood, they communicated telepathically and could see what others in their vicinity could see as if it were their own eyes. It was why, with a simple touch, Narti could use any body as a puppet to speak through. So, when Lotor found her stowed away on their ship, instead of banishing her to a desert wasteland or placing her in the arena, he had gifted her Kova and a uniform. Kova acted as Narti’s eyes, helping her during battles to see her enemies from afar without being noticed. No one expected a cat to do any harm. They’d said the same thing of a blind soldier. Oh, how wrong they were.

“Sire,” Acxa said, breaking the silence, “shall we continue as planned?”

Lotor gave Kova a final scratch under the chin before waving him off. Narti stepped forward, offering her arm. Kova leapt from Lotor’s chair to her shoulder with ease, his tail wrapping loosely around Narti’s neck.

“Yes,” Lotor said, giving Acxa one of his rare smiles. “This changes nothing.”

*

Adam woke up with Shiro’s hair in his mouth. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, spitting out the black and white strands. He knew back when he suggested keeping Shiro’s hair long that there would be pros and cons. Pros: he got to style it to his heart’s content (plus it was fun to tug). Cons: nearly suffocating in his sleep. But, he figured, combing his fingers through the long silky strands, that it was a worthy price to pay.

Shifting his head, Adam looked down at the still-sleeping Shiro curled against his chest. Shiro was large in build with his barrel chest and tall stance, but when he slept he curled in on himself until he was nearly half his normal size. It reminded Adam of Butterscotch, her body forming a perfect little ball tucked against Keith’s stomach whenever she slept with him.

At the thought of Keith, Adam’s heart clenched. He’d been gone only a week but to Adam, it felt like years. Was this how mother’s felt when their firstborns flew the nest?

Shiro shifted against Adam, nuzzling his nose into Adam’s collarbone. His breath tickled Adam’s skin. He had to suppress the shiver it brought. Instead, Adam reached for his new phone, checking the time. When he explained to the rest of the team that he’d snuck his phone into Keith’s luggage so they could keep in contact with him, Pidge had immediately started on creating a new phone for him.

“It was gonna be for Keith,” she’d explained, handing over the spanking new device to Adam’s waiting hands, “but as long as it’s put to good use, I can’t complain.”

Having been sourced from Altean tech scraps it didn’t resemble his Earth phone’s thin orange screen. Instead, it was the typical Altean blue, with hard silver edging to protect the paper-thin screen. Pidge had managed to re-upload Adam’s saved data from her laptop and voila, new phone, ready to go.

He’d messaged Keith to make sure that he got to the base safe and sound but otherwise had only gotten radio silence. He’d check in again soon to make sure Keith was settling in alright.

The clock claimed it to be six in the morning, Earth time. Below that was the time in Altean, an even more ghastly number. How Adam managed to wake up so early he had no clue. There were bits and pieces of his dream still floating about in his memory, although trying to put them together made no sense. Shiro was there, and he had heard the roaring of a lion. There were also stars, thousands upon thousands surrounding them. It was like he’d been standing on a mirror, the sky reflected below his feet to create a never-ending effect much like if you looked in the mirrors of an elevator, your reflections layering one on top of the other. Shiro had been trying to say something, but the words escaped Adam now the more he tried to recall them.

Adam reached for the chain around his neck, pulling out Shiro’s ring from under his shirt. He pinched the cool metal between two fingers, watching it glint in the low-light. It felt strange and a little embarrassing to wear Shiro’s ring on his finger once he’d returned, so he’d gone back to the chain. He wasn’t hiding it per-say. If Shiro asked what it was he’d willingly show it to him. It just didn’t feel right, being the only one with a ring.

Shiro mumbled something under his breath, snuggling closer to Adam’s chest. Adam dropped the ring, gathering Shiro in his arms. He needn’t worry about it right now. Right now, he could enjoy Shiro being here, with him. He wasn’t going to lose him again. Not in a million years.

*

“Pidge, I don’t like the idea of you going alone. You’re sure you don’t need backup?”

They were standing in the bridge, talking to Pidge through her Lion’s video feed. Shiro stood with his arms crossed, a deep frown furrowing his brow.

“I’m sure,” Pidge said. “The intel that shopkeeper gave me leads me to believe that they could pull out of their current location at any time. I need to act fast. This could be my only chance. Plus, you guys have still got plenty to do on Olkarion.”

Adam smiled to himself. Over the last few weeks, he’d been sitting down with Pidge and running through all the intel she’d gathered on Matt, marking down anything that could be useful in her search. Yesterday, she’d deemed herself ready to finally go out. Adam was both nervous and excited for her. Excited because this could be it, this could be Pidge’s chance to finally bring home her brother. Nervous because Pidge was still just a fourteen-year-old-girl going out on a frankly dangerous mission on her own. Shiro was just as nervous, Adam could tell. But like Adam, Shiro knew how stubborn Pidge could be. Once she’d decided on something, you could either help her or prohibit her from doing it and watch her do it anyway.

“Okay,” Shiro said. “If you’re sure. Good luck.”

Hunk raised his hand, grabbing Pidge’s attention. “Hey, while you’re out, could you look for some more flubobeans?”

Lance’s lips pursed so thin you’d think he’d swallowed an entire lemon. “No no no no no no! No more beans for Hunk! For anyone, for that matter!”

“Hey, it wasn’t that bad!” Hunk cried.

“The caterpillars and the mice needed resurrecting!”

Hunk stuck his nose up in the air with a haughty sniff. “They were being dramatic!”

“Okaaaaay Imma sign off now!” Pidge said.

“You’ve got this gremlin,” Adam said. “Call if you need anything.”

Pidge gave a two-fingered salute and a wink before ending the call.

“Okay,” Shiro said, turning his attention to the rest of the group. “You all know the drill.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lance said, already typing away on his phone.

Shiro made a grab for it but Lance easily side-stepped him. He gave Shiro a lop-sided smile, cupping his chin like a Coalgate model. “Nice try, but I’ve got four older siblings. I know aaaalll the tricks.”

Which is why while he was distracted with Shiro, Adam tiptoed behind Lance and snatched the phone out of his grasp.

“Hey! No fair!” Lance cried, making grabby hands.

Adam placed his palm flat against Lance’s face, keeping him arm-distance away as he scrolled through the open chat.

“Irritating Keith again, are we?”

Lance was reaching for his phone, to no avail, his voice muffled against Adam’s palm. “None of your business!”

“Beg to differ since it is my phone he’s using,” Adam said.

“No one asked you to give it to him,” Lance grumbled, giving up his struggle.

“And yet you can’t thank me enough,” Adam replied. He offered Lance’s phone back to him. Lance was about to grab it when Adam swiped it away out of his grasp. Lance pouted. Adam grinned, giving it to him for real this time.

Adam ruffled Lance’s curls. “Estoy jugando.”

Lance batted his hand away, clutching his phone close to his chest. “Te odio.”

“Me amas,” Adam corrected for him.

Lance rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. “Whatever.”

“Alright,” Shiro said, reeling them in with a clap of his hands. “Let’s get to work team.”

*

It turned out that there was not much work to be done. After seeing to his morning duties, Adam soon found himself wandering through the Castle’s library in search of something to read. He hadn’t been here since the whole haunted Castle debacle – Coran still didn’t know who’d caused the shelves to collapse and Adam was going to keep it that way, thank you very much – but he was in need of something to do and learning more about the planets that had joined the coalition was as a good a way to spend his time as any.

Adam’s fingers were gliding over the spines of the datapads as he quietly muttered the titles to himself. He remembered seeing an encyclopedia of sorts around this section. It would no doubt be out of date but at least it would be a start. It was in searching for it that he stumbled upon an Altean mythology book instead.

Interest piqued, Adam slid the datapad off the shelf. He pressed his finger to the screen, waking the datapad up. The cover was a beautifully detailed illustration of two Alteans, one holding a book and the other clutching their chest. Adam pulled out the nearest chair, settling in with his find. Usually, he would just open on a random page and start reading from there but something in the index caught his eye. It read: Altea’s Origin. Adam clicked on the title and was immediately taken to the chapter in the book.

Everything was written in Altean but Adam was pretty fluent at this point. He speed-read, eyes darting over the important words. Much of it was the same as the children’s book had taught him all those months ago.

It spoke of the White Lion, or Lion Goddess, being an all-knowing creator. She had lived for millennia alone. No one knew who her creator was, or if she had one at all. She was considered too wild, too knowledgeable to be tamed.

Illustrations depicting the Goddess flickered between that of a lion and a woman. The lion had an almost ethereal glow with her milk-white fur. She was strong and powerful with lean muscles and large paws. Her mane floated about her head in silvery curls, threaded with glittering stars. The woman version was Altean-looking with pointed ears, however instead of the triangular marks below her eyes, her face was dusted with star-like freckles that winked up at Adam.

Adam turned the page, continuing reading.

The Lioness grew lonely, having no one to converse with that she could consider her equal. One day, the loneliness became so overwhelming that she shed two tears. They landed on a barren planet that became flooded with pink flowers at the breath of life. Adam easily recognized the Juneberries Allura talked so fondly of in the illustrations.

Amongst the Juneberries arose the first two Alteans: Egeria and Rehema. Their depictions, much like in the first book, were androgynous, markings decorating every inch of their skin. It made Adam think of that morning where he helped Allura try to figure out Earth clothes, how she explained that one’s markings were not revealed to just anyone. Adam figured this notion must have developed at a later stage as Egeria and Rehema’s flowing dresses were quite revealing.

And then those two words appeared again, the ones Adam had been unable to translate last time. Egeria was blessed with ਗਿਆਨ whilst Rehema was given the gift of ਪਸੰਦ ਹੈ. Adam chewed on his thumbnail as he tried to translate the words. The configurations of the signs were old, far older than the more modern Altean that he’d been reading. Adam quickly got up in search of another book. It took a bit of searching but eventually, he found the one he was seeking. It was a textbook that broke down ancient Altean symbols, much like how one might translate Hieroglyphs.

Adam scrolled through the pages one by one, searching for the symbols that matched the ones in the myth. It was taking far longer than he thought it would. He was about ready to give up when he finally stumbled across it. Adam copied the information down on the notes app on his phone. Pidge had incorporated both the English, Spanish and Altean alphabet for him so that he would easily switch between the different keyboards.

After painstakingly typing each meaning of the symbol out, Adam was finally able to translate them.

“Knowledge and Compassion,” Adam read aloud. The way they were written, they were given capital letters. In Altean, capitals were only given to the words of utmost importance. Words like “I”, a name or the start of a new sentence did not even use them. So they were not just words, perhaps not even the simple attributes their English translation revealed. They were something of a higher power.

Adam read on.

Egeria and Rehema worked alongside the White Lion to create a new civilization, teaching them the Knowledge and Compassion that had been bestowed upon them. Once Egeria and Rehema felt that their people had fully embraced the White Lion’s lessons, the two returned to the field of Juneberries from whence they came. Their quintessence soaked into the flowers as their souls returned to the Lion in the sky. Adam supposed this was the more romantic way of saying they moved on to the afterlife. He figured that was it for the story, but when he flicked to the next page, there was more.

Egeria and Rehema remained alongside their Goddess, awaiting the time they would be needed again. The White Lion knew that such a time would come where chaos would reign and her people would forget the gifts that Egeria and Rehema had passed on.

Allura had said that Alteans believed in reincarnation. Was this part of what she meant?

The rest of the myth spoke of a time of peril, a time where Knowledge and Compassion were twisted and forgotten. Adam read the passage aloud to himself.

“Knowledge will be warped by unworthy hands, raining destruction and cruel supremacy upon the weak. Compassion will be forgotten, so lost in the depths of chaos that it will seem almost as if it never existed. Only then will Egeria and Rehema be reborn once more to bring peace and prosperity.”

The illustration below pictured two figures clasping hands. Behind them sat five lions.

“No way…” Adam whispered. “‘They will be aided by five of the Goddess’s own who in turn will choose five individuals who reflect their souls and hence will be deemed worthy to be their partners in search of Peace.’ The Paladins?”

“Adam?”

Adam let out a squeak, clutching the datapad so hard, the edges bit into the meat of his palms.

“Woah, just me.” Two tanned hands appeared from behind a shelf before Hunk’s head popped out to join them.

Adam relaxed, slumping back in his chair. “Stars, you gave me a fright.”

“Sorry,” Hunk said, looking sheepish. “It’s just, you missed lunch. Thought I’d come drag you to the kitchen for a bite?”

“Ah, yeah sounds good,” Adam said. He gathered the datapads to his chest, pocketing his phone.

“Find anything interesting?” Hunk asked as Adam joined his side and the two began walking.

“Sort of,” Adam said. The lie made his stomach churn. He didn’t want to be too hasty with this, didn’t want to give the team’s hopes up. And besides, it was just a myth. It could all just be coincidental, right?

“You’re thinking really hard over there, you might cause yourself to overheat,” Hunk joked.

“Sorry,” Adam said, shaking his head. “Just… interesting stuff. History.”

Hunk nodded. “Yeah, I could tell you were passionate about it back at the Garrison.”

“History not only reveals the follies of our past but also predicts our follies in the future,” said Adam.

Hunk chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, I remember. Everything comes full circle.”

Adam hummed to himself, thinking back to the final passage.

He kept pondering the question to himself while Hunk served him lunch – an amazing brinjal lasagna – before finally asking, “Hunk, do you believe in fate?”

Hunk hummed in question around a spoonful of lasagna. “Uhhh, dunno to be honest. I’d like to think so? I mean, what else could have lead us to the Blue Lion and all, well,” he waved his hands about, “this?”

Adam cupped his chin in thought, lunch momentarily forgotten. “True… I don’t know, it all seems too perfect. Makes you wonder I guess.”

“Well, it’s brought us some good things too, ya know?” Hunk said, beginning to list things off his finger. “Like finding Shiro, waking Allura and Coran up, freeing all those planets –”

“Including a certain Balmera?” Adam interjected, wiggling his eyebrows.

Hunk’s cheeks flushed. “Y-yeah, I guess.”

“How is Shay by the way?” Adam asked, digging into his lasagna again.

“She’s good! Yeah, we talk almost every day. It’s kinda hard, the whole long-distance thing but I’m hoping to maybe take a day or two off soon to go visit her.”

“Why not now?”

“Huh?”

“Well, Pidge is off and we’re all just sitting twiddling our thumbs. Now’s as good a time as any?”

Hunk’s eyes sparkled at the prospect. “You think? W-would Shiro and Allura let me go?”

“Don’t see why not.”

Hunk scarfed down the rest of his lasagna at a worrying speed before dumping his bowl in the dishwasher and sprinting out the kitchen, yelling “Thanks Adam!” over his shoulder.

Adam chuckled, grinning around his spoon. “Ah, young love.”

*

Adam only had to follow the sounds of a guitar being strummed to find Lance in his room.

“Hey,” said Adam, leaning up against the doorway.

Lance slammed his hand down on the strings, cutting off his tune with a loud _twang!_

“O-oh, hey, man! Didn’t see you.”

Adam arched his brow, entering Lance’s room. The door slid shut behind him. “What you working on?”

Lance shuffled the papers spread out across his mattress to one side and out of Adam’ sight.

“Oh, nothing, just, ya know, messing around is all.”

“Uh huh,” Adam said, not the least bit convinced.

Lance chuckled nervously. “Uh, anything I can help you with?”

Adam shrugged. “Eh, everyone’s got free time, thought I’d come bug you for a bit.”

“If you like,” Lance said. He started picking at the strings again, but it wasn’t the same tune Adam had found him with.

“How’s Keith?”

“He’s good,” Lance said, eyes never straying from the strings. “Still sucks at making friends.”

Adam swivelled Lance’s desk chair around, straddling it so he could lean his arms on the back of the chair. “Don’t tell me, he’s sulking in a corner somewhere.”

“Yup,” Lance said, popping the P.

Adam scrubbed a hand through his hair, no doubt making it look like a bird’s nest. “I need to message him later. He hasn’t said anything about anything.”

“I’m always the first to message him,” Lance said with a shrug. “I think he’s just not used to having a phone anymore.”

“Even when he did, he hardly used it. He was always on my laptop scrolling through YouTube, though.”

Lance scoffed. “YouTube? Seriously? All that stuff is ancient.”

“He liked it. It’s where he downloaded the original Buzzfeed Unsolved episodes. We binged them all.”

“Wait, they were originally on YouTube?”

“Everything was on YouTube, Lance,” Adam replied. “You’d be amazed at what you can find. I’ve found some pretty good makeup tutorials on there actually. Even Shiro used a couple for eyeliner tips.”

Lance pursed his lips. “Huh.”

“Speaking of, where’s your pallets?”

“Uh, top desk drawer,” Lance said, indicating his dresser drawers. “Why?”

“I’m giving you a makeover,” Adam said, already up and scavenging through Lance’s drawers for his pallets and brushes.

“Oh, uh, you don’t have to –”

“I’m bored and here and you deserve to be spoiled Lance,” Adam replied. Be brought the supplies over to Lance’s bed, spreading them out. “Besides, I’m sure a certain someone wouldn’t mind seeing you dolled up a bit.” He gave Lance a wink. Lance only looked more confused.

“Allura?” he asked.

Adam held back his sigh. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

“Okay,” Lance said, packing away his guitar and sheet music. “If you insist.”

“I really do,” Adam replied with a grin. “Now, close your eyes and don’t move.”

Lance was a surprisingly good canvas. When Adam asked him about it, Lance explained that his sisters often used him for practice when they were younger.

“It was a nice way to bond, plus it got me out of trouble. Mostly.”

Adam chuckled under his breath. “I can’t imagine the chaos that reigned in your house. Five kids, your parents must be superheroes in disguise.”

“Five kids, my grandparents and there always seemed to be some aunt or uncle or distant cousin paying a visit. No day was ever boring in the Sanchez household, let’s just say that.”

Adam thought back to his and Shiro’s apartment, the trouble Keith and Shiro would get up to. You’d think, Shiro being Shiro, he’d have kept them in line but perhaps there was just something about Keith that brought out Shiro’s inner child.

“Did I tell you about the time Shiro and Keith lit the oven on fire? Tilt your chin down.”

Lance did so. Adam swiped a nude base over his eyelids before changing to a smaller brush. He swirled the brush in a crimson shadow and began creating a smoky look.

“No, but please do tell,” Lance said, grinning already at the prospect.

“Well,” said Adam. “I leave to take Butterscotch to the vet for some injections. She hates getting in the basket so of course, the Broganes left it to me.”

“Naturally.”

“Naturally, so I leave and tell them not to touch the kitchen while I’m gone because I’ve got cookie dough waiting in the fridge.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes. Tilt up.”

Having completed the crimson look, Adam started on the eyeliner, adding a subtle flick to each point.

“So, somehow, they get the idea in their heads to make the cookies for me seeing as I got some new battle scars in wrangling Butterscotch into the basket. Which is sweet and all except for the fact that neither of them understands the concept of an oven.”

“What did they do?”

“They didn’t know how long to put the cookies in for,” Adam said. “Keith decided to search for it online and managed to find the _worst_ and when I say worst, I mean the most utterly terrible advice column I have ever laid eyes on.”

Done with the eyeliner, Adam brought out the mascara. “Eyes open. Blink as I sweep.” Lance did so, Adam coating his eyelashes and making them look even longer.

“So, some idiot said that typically you’d bake them for fifteen minutes at three-fifty Fahrenheit, which yes, is the way to go. But! And here’s the point of no return, Mister Anonymous Tipper claims that he was able to bake his cookies for five minutes at five-hundred degrees.”

Lance’s eyes fly wide open. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” Adam capped the mascara, shuffling through the lipstick options before picking up a soft burgundy. He indicated for Lance to open his mouth and brushed the lipstick on with ease. “And Keith, bless his soul, misread the recipe. So instead of baking it for five minutes at five-hundred degrees and just getting slightly singed cookies, he and Shiro set a timer for fifteen minutes at five-hundred degrees.”

Lance was already shaking with laughter. Adam was finding it hard to hold back his own.

“So, while the oven is busy having a full-on breakdown the two figure they have enough time to go for a quick ride on their hoverbikes.”

Lance was clutching his stomach at this point, wheezing.

“And when they return it’s to a smoking oven. You’d think that thing was powering a steam engine the smoke was so thick. Now, they’re panicking, the fire alarm is blaring and I’m due to be back in less than five minutes. They’ve just started clearing some of the smoke when I walk through the front door. And guess what happens next.”

“I can’t,” Lance wheezed. “Please, what –”

“I manage to drop Butterscotch’s basket from sheer horror and just as she’s making a break for it the sprinklers are set off.”

They’re both laughing at this point, Lance collapsed on his side while Adam’s stomach begins to cramp.

“Butterscotch is absolutely miserable, her hair’s hanging around her like a wet curtain, I’m sopping wet and the other two morons are covered in soot, holding the still-burning evidence behind their backs like that’s going to do anything. In the end, the landlady came and I had to sweet talk her, like I always end up doing, to make sure we didn’t get our fifth eviction notice.”

“Fifth??? What did you –”

Adam raised his hand, stopping Lance and putting on his most dramatic voice. “It’s too traumatizing to even think at this point.”

“But you guys didn’t get evicted?”

“Our landlady loves me. I’m practically the son she never had. I promised her that not a single spot of soot will be left behind, our apartment will smell so good people will think we’ve opened up a flower shop in there and, I swear on my life, that those two will not so much as step into the kitchen again. Not even for a glass of water.”

Lance finally managed to pull himself together again for Adam to add the final touch: a hint of bronzer on his cheekbones.

“And did they?”

“I gave them water privileges after a month of banishment.”

Lance snorted. Adam grinned wickedly. “Okay, nearly done.”

“What else do you need to do?” Lance asked.

Adam held his palm up. “Eye contact.”

Lance paled. “Uh… no, I… I don’t wanna ruin the look –”

“I specifically did this look for you, Lance. The real you.”

Lance and Adam stared at each other, neither of them willing to back down.

Lance wilted slightly. “You swear it’ll be okay?”

Adam drew a cross over his heart. “I swear.”

Lance contemplated it a moment longer before sighing. “Give me a sec.”

He shuffled off the bed, disappearing into his ensuite bathroom.

Adam waited, counting the seconds under his breath. There was a moment of complete silence and then he heard a quiet gasp. When Lance still didn’t make an appearance, Adam got off the bed and went to the bathroom entrance, hovering in the doorway.

“Lance?”

Lance was standing at the bathroom mirror, shoulders back, back straight, chin up. He stood proudly in place, tilting his head this way and that to see Adam’s work. In the reflection, Adam could see the deep navy of Lance’s left eye and the soft chocolate brown of his right. The crimson of the smokey eye Adam had created brought out both shades beautifully, making his eyes pop. His cheekbones were pronounced with the soft lines of bronzer, his freckles dancing along his nose and cheekbones. He looked damn good in Adam’s honest opinion.

He smiled to himself, crossing his arms and ankles as he leaned against the doorway. “I take it you like it.”

Lance finally turned around, grinning back at Adam with childlike glee. “I _love_ it. Muchas gracias.”

“De nada,” Adam replied, matching his grin.

*

After making sure that Lance wasn’t going to let his hard work go to waste and that, “You are absolutely rocking this look at dinner,” Adam decided to take a stroll in search of Shiro. He wasn’t on the bridge, nor in their room and when he made a quick call to Allura she said he wasn’t with her or Ryner either. That left one place.

Adam took a deep breath before entering the training deck. And there was Shiro, battling a training bot. Unlike in usual battle where he used his Galra arm, Adam was surprised to see he was wielding his bayard. It resembled a flanged mace, the head midnight black with a shining white shaft and dark leather handle. Shiro wielded it expertly, knocking the training bot’s head clean off its shoulders. The bot disintegrated into pixels, a voice overhead claiming, “LEVEL 10 COMPLETE.”

“Having fun?”

Shiro swivelled around, grinning when he saw who it was. “A bit.”

His hair was coming out of the braid Adam had plaited for him that morning, loose strands sticking to Shiro’s temples from sweat. He was breathing hard but walked with a loose energy. He was relaxed.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well,” Adam said.

Shiro’s smile turned softer around the edges. “Yeah, better than before.”

The first time Shiro tried training with the bot after his second return, he’d had a bad flashback episode and needed to be taken off the training deck to calm down. Since then, it had been a slow process of breathing exercises and incremental training to become comfortable working with the bots again. Adam or Keith would spar with him when it was too difficult. Shiro, being Shiro, still wanted to train with the rest of his team, no matter how long it took to get into the right headspace.

“Wanna put that away and spar for a bit?” Adam asked.

Shiro seemed surprised but banished his bayard. “Sure. Just make sure you warm up.”

Adam stepped through the door, shucking off his sweater. “Then take off some of that armour. I’m gonna break my wrist again if I punch it too hard.”

Shiro did so with a grin, taking off his armour so that he was left in just the undersuit. Adam tried to keep his eyes from trailing over the defined planes of muscle on show, but it proved difficult. Shiro didn’t seem to mind though.

Once Adam was sufficiently warmed up, he and Shiro met in the middle of the training deck. Shiro stood lax with his arms at his sides. His lips ticked into a cheeky smile.

“You ready?”

Adam jumped a little from foot to foot. They’d both forgone their boots. Adam had thankfully decided to wear his athletic pants today, giving him enough room to move freely. He’d tucked his glasses away with his sweater and put on the goggles Coran had made for him. Adam still preferred to wear his glasses under his helmet, but for training purposes, Coran had taken his prescription and worked with Hunk to make a pair of glasses with elastic-like frames and a band to go around his head, keeping them snugly in place. They looked a little ridiculous but Adam knew they were a necessity.

“Always,” Adam said before taking the first swing with a round-house kick. Shiro ducked, making an uppercut with his right arm. Adam blocked it, but Shiro used the distraction to hook his left arm around Adam’s neck, kicking him in the ribs. Adam shuffled his feet, trying to free his head while blocking Shiro’s next few kicks. He finally managed to free himself, punching Shiro with a left hook and then going into a cartwheel kick. Shiro staggered backwards, clutching his jaw. Adam grinned, making the “come on” gesture with his hand.

Shiro sniffed, gathering himself before coming at Adam again. He got in a few punches, landing a solid flying kick to Adam’s chest and causing him to stumble backwards. Shiro took advantage while he could, coming at him with some quick jabs of his elbow. Adam hooked his left arm with Shiro’s right, flipping him over his shoulder and onto the ground. The two rolled across the floor, Shiro catching Adam in a headlock before Adam elbowed him in the gut. Shiro let out an “oof!” as the air escaped his lungs.

Adam scrambled to his feet, putting a bit of distance between them to catch his breath. His head was a little dizzy. Shiro rolled backwards up onto his feet, although he was clutching his side.

“Been working on those jabs?”

“Maybe,” Adam replied, blowing a piece of his fringe out of his eyes.

“Heh. Alright.”

They gave each other a moment to compose themselves for going at it again.

Adam went with a left hook, his strongest side, but Shiro was prepared. He blocked it, returning the hit with a swing of his right fist. The two exchanged hits and blocks before Adam decided on another cartwheel kick. Shiro did a clean forward flip, Adam missing him by an inch. He quickly recovered with a knee to Shiro’s stomach. Shiro took it like a champ, stepping backwards and unveiling a roundhouse kick that just nicked Adam under his jaw.

Adam worked his jaw, trying to get rid of the sting as he blocked two more punches. When Shiro tried another roundhouse kick, Adam went to his knees and head-butted him in the stomach, pushing Shiro off-balance. Adam landed another punch, a flat hand to Shiro’s neck and when Shiro went for a haymaker punch, Adam blocked him and hit him in the solar plexus with his fist. Placing his right hand on the floor, he pushed up and used both feet to kick Shiro in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

Shiro stumbled and rolled but quickly recovered, getting back to his feet. Adam caught up to him just in time to try land another punch but Shiro hooked Adam’s arm between the crease of his knee, did a backflip, and brought Adam to his back. Adam gasped for breath as Shiro squeezed his arm between his legs, pulling on Adam’s fist and causing his shoulder to ache. If this were a real fight, Shiro would have already torn it from its socket. But because it was Adam, he was going a little easy.

His feet free, Adam kicked at the back of Shiro’s neck, causing Shiro to release to his hold on his arm. Adam stood up, towering over Shiro and aiming for a punch, but Shiro placed his feet on the creases of Adam’s hips, holding him at bay. Adam still tried for the punches he could, but with Shiro keeping him at that distance, he was easier to block. Adam was about to step back when Shiro caught his arm, hooking his other hand over Adam’s shoulder. His feet slipped away from Adam’s hips only for his legs to wrap around Adam’s neck, his right arm held tightly across his neck to cut off airflow.

Shiro sent him a wicked smirk. Adam returned it.

Yes, Adam could admit Shiro was made of pure muscle. They were practically the same height at this point but while Adam wasn’t as built, he still had some hidden strength. Shiro wasn’t going to let go anytime soon so Adam did what he had to. He planted his feet firmly beneath him and stood up, taking Shiro with him, only to slam him down back-first on the floor. Shiro released him and Adam gulped fresh air into his lungs.

Adam stumbled back, falling onto his ass. Shiro laid where he was, chest heaving.

“You good,” Adam croaked out.

Shiro said nothing but gave a shaky thumbs up.

Adam choked on his chuckle, his throat still aching from the grip Shiro had held him in.

“Your thighs are made of steel, I swear,” Adam said, finally getting to his feet and walking gingerly towards Shiro.

Shiro was laying like a starfish, chest rising and falling in more even breaths now.

Adam stood with his feet on either side of Shiro’s hips, beaming down at him. Shiro’s cheeks were flushed pink, his hair in complete disarray. Adam offered him his hand.

“Done?”

Shiro took Adam’s hand in his, but before Adam could lean back to help him up, Shiro was tugging him down and clutching him to his chest. Shiro rolled, landing on top of Adam. They laid there, nose to nose, breathing in each other’s air. Shiro stole a kiss before standing up.

“Yeah, now I’m done.”

Adam leaned up on shaky elbows, shaking his head. “You crook. Charlatan! Swindler, I say!”

“Does winner pop up anytime soon?” Shiro asked, undoing his hair tie and gathering his hair up in a messy bun.

“Only if I get another kiss,” Adam replied. He rolled onto all fours before slowly standing up.

Shiro chuckled, wrapping his arms loosely around Adam’s waist. “I’m sure that could be arranged.”

Adam leaned in, slotting his lips with Shiro’s. They were both slick with sweat and Adam’s nose was already beginning to wrinkle at the smell.

“We should probably shower first.”

“Agreed,” Shiro said. He gave Adam’s hip a quick squeeze before pulling away. Adam watched with a heavy-lidded gaze as Shiro gathered his armour. They hadn’t really spoken about getting back together. They sort of just slipped into old habits while Shiro was recovering and since then, they’d been… whatever this was. Adam had been meaning to ask if this was okay, if Shiro was happy, that he didn’t regret it.

“You coming?” Shiro asked. He was already at the door, his and Adam’s things bundled in his arms.

Adam jogged over to him, taking off his fighting goggles and putting his glasses on instead. They instantly began to fog over from the heat of his body. He muttered to himself as he wiped them clean on his T-shirt, replacing them on the bridge of his nose. When he looked up again, Shiro was smiling at him with that soft look in his eyes.

 _How could I ever doubt him,_ Adam thought to himself, _when he looks at me like that?_

“Yeah, let’s go.”

*

Adam had just changed into some comfortable clothes, towelling his hair dry when he decided to message Keith.

**11/03/2058**

**aDAMN:** Keith, stop talking to Lance for a minute

**Brogane2:** Who said I was talking to Lance?

**aDAMN:** I can hear Lance cackling through the walls

**Brogane2:** … okay so maybe I was talking to Lance

**aDAMN:** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**Brogane2:** No! Not you too! I hate it when Lance uses that thing

**aDAMN:** Oh don't worry, same

 **aDAMN:** I hate to sound like the clingy boyfriend but why haven’t you messaged me sooner?

**Brogane2:** …

 **Brogane2:** I’m sorry. I kinda forget that I have a phone and when I do…

**aDAMN** : You’re chatting up Lance?

**Brogane2:** I am not “chatting up” Lance

 **Brogane2:** We just talk. That’s it.

**aDAMN:** Suuuuuuuuuuure

 **aDAMN:** I bet he’s just sent something stupid and you’re grinning like an idiot

**Brogane2:** Am not!

**aDAMN:** I can feel your blush all the way from here

**Brogane2:** Whatever. How’s it going with Shiro?

**aDAMN:** I know what you’re doing and we are not done with this convo

 **aDAMN:** But he’s good. We had a sparring session earlier.

 **aDAMN:** He seemed pretty relaxed around the training bot which was good

**Brogane2:** That’s good to hear

**aDAMN:** And you? How’s it going on that side?

**Brogane2:** Still settling in I guess. I’m not used to socializing with other Galra

**aDAMN:** You’re not good with socializing, period

**Brogane2:** Gee, thanks for the confidence booster

**aDAMN:** you didn’t let me finish

 **aDAMN:** BUT, that doesn’t mean you can’t make the effort

**Brogane2:** I don’t know it’s just weird… You go in for a handshake and they just look at you weirdly

 **Brogane2:** And depending on if they’re half-Galra then they’ve got their own customs too

 **Brogane2:** It’s hard to keep track of it all

**aDAMN:** Have you at least made a few friends?

**Brogane2:** You sound just like Lance

**aDAMN:** You’re avoiding the question

**Brogane2:** I dunno, maybe?

**aDAMN:** That doesn’t sound half as convincing as you think it does

**Brogane2:** There’s these two Blades I train with often, Zarlog and Zeffin. They’re twins.

**aDAMN:** There we go!

**Brogane2:** And I guess there’s also Hassain. They’re kinda cool. 

**Brogane2:** We usually eat together, though they don’t say much

**aDAMN:** Well, gotta start somewhere

 **aDAMN:** But it seems you’re doing okay for yourself

 **aDAMN:** I’m glad

**Brogane2:** I do miss you guys. I hope you know that

**aDAMN:** We miss you too. Which is why you should message us more often!

**Brogane2:** Okay, okay. I’ll try make more of an effort

**aDAMN:** Good, otherwise I’m sending Red after you

**Brogane2:** I thought you hated Red?

**aDAMN:** We have an understanding.

**Brogane2:** Okay… sounds fake but okay

**aDAMN:** Did you just sass me with a meme?

**Brogane2:** Shit, Lance is rubbing off on me

**aDAMN:** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**Brogane2:** THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT

**aDAMN:** Suuuuuuure ;)

**Brogane2:** Ugh

**aDAMN:** seriously, though, how’s it going with him?

**Brogane2:** Good, I guess? We talk?

**aDAMN:** You talk or you _talk_?

**Brogane2:** We talk! What other kind of talk is there?

**aDAMN:** Eh I guess it is still early days

 **aDAMN:** Just remember there is also a video call option

**Brogane2:** I know how a phone works Adam

**aDAMN:** You sure? Could have fooled me

**Brogane2:** I’ll make more of an effort, I promise

**aDAMN:** You better, or I’ll tell embarrassing stories about you to Kolivan

**Brogane2:** Don’t you dare, everyone already treats me like the baby

**aDAMN:** Oh come on, Kit, it ain’t that bad

**Brogane2:** Don’t you start too

 **Brogane2:** Otherwise I’ll tell embarrassing stories about you to Lance

**aDAMN:** Oh ho ho ho. The kitten’s grown some claws

**Brogane2:** Mayhaps

Adam was about to reply with another quip when he heard the shower turn off.

**aDAMN:** Shiro’s here, wanna say hi?

**Brogane2:** Yeah, sure

Shiro had just entered the room, smelling of lavender with his hair up in a towel turban. It was a little ridiculous and also extremely cute. Adam snapped a picture before offering his phone to Shiro.

“Keith wants to say hi.”

Shiro took Adam’s phone from him, holding it carefully in his Galra hand as he typed with his index finger. It was a painstakingly slow process but eventually he and Keith got a conversation going. Adam watched, reading the minute facial expressions on Shiro’s face as he reacted to Keith’s messages. When Shiro barked a laugh, Adam tugged on his shirt sleeve with a questioning look.

“Keith’s asking me to get you off his back about making friends.”

Adam huffed. “I’m just worried about him.”

“I said as much,” Shiro said, returning to his one-fingered typing, tongue sticking out in concentration.

It went on like that a little bit longer, Adam occasionally snatching his phone to type out a retort to Keith when Allura called for them over the intercom.

Adam had the phone so he typed out their goodbye and made sure that Keith knew he was required to message them at least twice a week.

**Brogane2:** Yeah, yeah, mom, don’t worry

**aDAMN:** I’m allowed to worry. You’re Keith

**Brogane2:** Fine, don’t worry too much then

**aDAMN:** I’ll try. Can’t make any promises.

**Brogane2:** Bye Adam

**aDAMN:** Bye Keith. Stay safe x

**Brogane2:** You too x

**aDAMN:** And make sure to eat your greens!

**Brogane:** Yes, mom

Adam grinned, pocketing his phone.

“Ready?” Shiro asked. He’d pulled his hair back in a loose top-knot, the tips still dripping water on his shirt collar. He looked relaxed, happy. It made Adam’s heart flutter.

He stood up and took Shiro’s hand in his own. He gave it a quick squeeze in reply.

Overall, Adam thought, stealing glances at Shiro as they made their way to the bridge, today had been a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find Lance's makeup look [here](https://en.vogue.me/beauty/celebrity-red-eyeshadow-trend/). He would seriously rock it, if I do say so myself!
> 
> Also, keep an eye out as I'll be posting a new chapter on What Adam Doesn't Know Won't Hurt Him soon ;)
> 
> SPANISH TRANSLATION
> 
> Estoy jugando – I’m having fun with you
> 
> Te odio! – I hate you!
> 
> Me amas – You love me
> 
> Muchas gracias – Thank you very much
> 
> De nada – You’re welcome


	3. Friends And Foes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Voltron greets a new alley while Lotor has to decide who he can truly trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Long time, no write... I'm sorry about the long breaks between chapters. Even with the lockdown here where I live, schoolwork is still a thing as well as classes. I hope everyone is staying safe wherever you are in the world.

They’d just come back from another rescue mission. Adam was busy guiding the new group of refugees to the welcoming station when the Castle landed. The elevator came down and when it opened revealed a giant mass of… something. Adam squinted. Suddenly, an arm came poking out, waggling about and a muffled voice exclaimed, “Excuse me, coming through!” The mass didn’t seem keen on waiting, however. Adam watched in shock as ten bulbous bodies came shuffling out of the elevator, the last being a rather ruffled-looking Coran.

“Just right over there, Adam will get you sorted out.”

And that Adam did. After using some exaggerated miming, the group got the general gist and were led to the nearest medical station for the arrival check-ups.

Adam sighed in relief, pushing his bangs back as he joined the rest of the paladins.

“That the last of them?”

“Yep!” Coran cried. “One hundred more souls looking for a new home.”

“A hundred more soldiers fighting against the Galra,” Shiro added, smiling proudly.

Adam arched a brow in question. He wouldn’t really call the refugees soldiers per-say. But it certainly helped to see how many people they were helping.

He approached Shiro, leaning against him dramatically. Shiro didn’t seem to notice the extra weight one bit.

“I’m ready for a catnap,” Adam said with a yawn.

Lance stood up from his seat on a cargo box, stretching his long arms above his head. “I feel ya, man. I’m exhausted.”

Adam huffed. “You got to sit in Red’s comfy pilot seat while I on the other have been organizing the foot traffic.”

Lance waved his hand dismissively. “Potato, patato.”

Adam was about to reply with a rather good quip, mind you when there was a loud roar.

Everyone looked up, all grinning when the saw a familiar flash of green.

“Pidge’s back!” Hunk cried.

They started walking towards the landing bay and while Adam was very excited to see his favourite gremlin again, his muscles were starting to cramp.

“Babe,” Adam grumbled into Shiro’s shoulder. “Carry me?”

Shiro chuckled. “I’m sure you can make the very long and arduous ten steps by yourself?”

“Any other day, I perhaps could,” Adam said, sighing dramatically like a damsel in distress. “However, I just… don’t think… I can… make it –”

A strong arm circled his waist, helping him straighten up as they followed the others.

“I’ve got you, don’t worry,” Shiro said smiling even while he rolled his eyes at Adam’s theatrics.

“My hero,” Adam whispered, kissing Shiro’s quickly on the cheek. Shiro’s ears turned a startling red. Adam laughed.

They soon joined the others, Adam still leaning half-heartedly against Shiro as Green landed and bent down to deposit Pidge on the ground.

They’d already heard the news, but Adam still couldn’t help but hold his breath until a tall figure appeared behind Pidge, sporting that same chestnut hair and cheeky grin.

Pidge waved excitedly, bending down to say hello to the space mice.

“Hey, guys!”

“Welcome back, Gremlin,” Adam said.

Pidge’s smile was radiant. Adam hadn’t seen her look so genuinely happy in literal years.

_Stars, the time’s flown._

Pidge straightened, indicating to the figure behind her. “Everyone, this is my brother Matt!”

Matt had both changed and yet seemed exactly as Adam had last seen him – tall and lean with sharp intelligent eyes and an overall friendliness to him that no one could deny. He was dressed in the uniform of the rebellion, orange and blue gear with puffy pants and a flowing brown cape to top it off. His hair was longer and a scar adorned his left cheek but that did nothing to mask his smile as he looked at his little sister, pride gleaming in his eyes.

Pidge started making the rounds of introductions, Hunk and Lance giving Matt friendly handshakes. Coran was next and Matt’s eyes widened a little as Coran started spurting “all the good things we’ve heard about you” but Matt completely froze when he saw Allura.

“Oh dear,” Adam murmured. He knew that look far too well. Matt, bless him, was a sweetheart but also an absolute dork, especially when pretty people were involved. So of course, he gave the most dramatic gasp and stumbled over himself to say hello to Allura, even going so far as to take her hand in his and give it a kiss. Allura giggled at the attention, though her eyes darted to Coran in a “save me” look. Coran was too slow, however, as Lance stepped in, looking about ready to start throwing fists.

Shiro chuckled at the display which seemed to catch Matt’s attention. His eyes widened when they landed on Shiro.

“S-Shiro?”

Adam stepped away, giving them their moment.

He knew how tough it had been on Pidge, not knowing where her brother or her father were, fighting tooth and nail for every last scrap of information. But in the shadows, Shiro had also been worrying. He’d voiced his fears more than once about what might have happened to Matt when he saved him from going into the arena – Shiro had told him the story, how he’d slashed Matt’s calf so he wouldn’t be considered fighting fodder. But he’d still had his doubts, wondering if he’d only sent Matt to someplace even worse. Seeing them hugging now, reunited, all those fears seemed to be washed clean away.

When they finally parted, Matt’s eyes landed on Adam. He gave a dramatic gasp, crying, “ADAM!”

Adam opened his arms wide, grinning. “Mathematics Holt.”

Matt charged into him, nearly causing Adam to fall over. Matt was squeezing him so tightly, he felt like the blood flow was beginning to be cut off to his brain. “Matt,” Adam wheezed. “I love you man, but I also gotta breath.”

“Ah, sorry,” Matt released him. “Still getting used to, well, ya know, having muscles.”

“Damn right, look you. You got ripped!” Adam cried.

Matt's cheeks turned pink, his freckles standing out even starker. “Heh, you think?”

Adam winked at him. “Big time.”

Shiro came up to Matt, clapping him on the shoulder. “Pidge never gave up on you.”

Matt grinned down at his sister. The siblings were both practically glowing from happiness. “Yeah, she can be stubborn like that.”

“And I want you to know that all of us will help you find your father,” Shiro continued. Matt’s smile softened into something a little more sombre.

“Thanks, Shiro. All of you.”

Pidge hip-checked Matt, smiling up at him. “Matt,” she said, sweeping her arm in a grand gesture, “this is the Castle of Lions.”

Matt looked up, taking in the ship properly since he arrived. He got that same soft gooey look in his eyes that Pidge did every time she saw some new interesting piece of tech.

“Woah…”

“Let me take you on a tour!” Pidge cried, already dragging Matt towards the elevator before he could answer.

Shiro chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. “Same old Holts.”

Adam nodded, smiling to himself, “Same old Holts.”

“I’m keeping an eye on him,” Lance grumbled.

“Mouse?” Adam asked.

Lance was pouting, eyes narrowed in the direction Matt had disappeared. “He was making moves on Allura.”

“You make moves on Allura every day,” Adam replied.

Lance stuttered. “Y-yeah, but like, it’s different! We’ve got a thing going!”

“A thing?” Adam asked in disbelief.

“If by a ‘thing’ you mean you say a half-baked pick-up line and she ignores you, then sure,” Hunk said, slinging an arm around Lance’s shoulders and jostling him jokingly.

“She doesn’t ignore me!” Lance cried. “She pretends not to listen, there’s a difference.”

“Lance, this isn’t the fourth grade where girls ignoring you means they like you,” Adam quipped.

“That’s not true even in fourth grade,” Shiro added.

Lance blew a raspberry in irritation. “Whatever.”

“Though I will say the pick-up lines have decreased in number recently,” Adam prodded, sending a side-ways look at Lance.

Lance froze, lips opening and closing on half-finished words. “Well, I mean – uh, that is…”

“How is Keith, by the way?” Adam continued, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Fine, last I checked!” Lance managed to stammer out.

Adam snickered. “Which was, what, five minutes ago?”

“OKAY! MOVING ON!” Lance said, shimmying out from Hunk’s grasp and waltzing off towards Red. “Imma take Red out on a victory lap, catch up with you later!”

“Do you think he’s realized yet?” Shiro asked.

“If that boy doesn’t realize soon then I will literally proclaim him the densest human being I have ever met.”

“Realized what?” Hunk asked.

Adam waved the question away. “Nothing, don’t worry. Just adult talk.”

Hunk didn’t look convinced but didn’t question it any further.

“Speaking of, how’s the girlfriend?” Adam asked.

Hunk chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Good. We had a really nice date yesterday. Thanks again, for the idea.”

“No worries,” Adam said. “Glad you got to see her again.”

“You and me both,” said Hunk, his cheeks starting to burn a bright red.

“Didn’t you say you were due for a catnap?” Shiro asked, pinching Adam’s side playfully.

Adam slapped his hand, pouting. “I did, yes. And aren’t you due for your pod session?”

Something flickered across Shiro’s features. Adam frowned, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared.

“You’re right, I’ll go organize that with Coran,” Shiro said. “I’ll see you later.” With a kiss to Adam’s cheek, Shiro was gone, leaving behind a slightly confused Hunk and Adam.

“Is everything okay between you?” Hunk asked once Shiro had disappeared up into the Castle.

Adam replied just a little too quickly to be fully convincing. “Of course. We’re great.”

Hunk tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he studied Adam’s features. “You know you can talk to me, to any of us, right?”

Adam smiled, patting Hunk on the back. “I know. And I appreciate it. But really, we’re good. I’m good.”

“Okay…” Hunk said, not sounding completely convinced.

Adam stepped back, slowly inching towards the elevator. “So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go take that nap.” _And not worry at all about Shiro. Not even a little bit._

Before Hunk could reply, Adam was already closing the doors to the elevator and heading up to the entrance hall. He did not think about that strange flicker in Shiro’s eyes. He did not think about how Shiro always seemed to skirt around the subject of his pod sessions for his ailment. He didn’t think about it for one second because there was no need to. Not at all.

*

Adam attempted to have a nap, the keyword being _attempted_. After tossing and turning for a good half a varga he gave up, flinging his blankets to the side and stumbling towards the lounge in search of company.

Pidge and Matt were there sipping on Hunk’s famous milkshakes. Hunk was busy explaining Allura and Coran’s very unfair advantage of never getting brain freeze, unlike Lance who seemed far too easily susceptible to them for his own health.

Adam plucked the milkshake out of Pidge’s hand, taking a few hearty sips before returning the glass to her clutches. She growled at him around her straw. Adam returned it with a dazzling smile.

“So, Matt, what do you think?” Adam asked, gesturing around them.

“This place is amazing!” Matt said. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“I’m sure your dad would have a field day,” Adam grinned.

Matt’s smile faltered for a moment and Adam internally cursed himself. But Matt’s sombre expression melted away when he caught eyes with Pidge. “Yeah, he will when he sees it.”

Pidge gave a wobbly smile around her straw, shuffling closer to Matt’s side. The two seemed to be attached to the hip ever since they arrived, never straying more than a meter from each other. Adam couldn’t blame them. After being separated for so long, he couldn’t help but want to hover around Shiro as well when he returned.

“So, what all have you been up to since you got broken out of Galra prison?” Hunk asked, switching up the conversation.

“I’ve been stationed at a listening outpost monitoring Galra radio chatter.”

“You serious?” Hunk asked, “Then you should totally check out the Galra finder Pidge built! Which, ya know, we used to track down a Galra fleet and save a planet, no biggie.”

Pidge and Hunk shared a fist bump. Matt’s eyes widened in shock and adoration.

“No way!”

Pidge nodded. “And Hunk made the locator that led us to the first Voltron Lion and then we used an upgraded version to track down Lotor!”

Matt’s adoring expression only seemed to grow ten-fold. “Wow, Pidge, I’m so proud of you. And I know dad will be too.”

Pidge sniffled, pushing her milkshake into Adam’s hand before flinging her arms around her brother. Matt startled at first then softened, wrapping Pidge up in a hug.

Adam smiled softly to himself, taking another sip of Pidge’s milkshake. It was always nice, seeing people surrounded by those they love.

A small pang went through Adam’s heart as he thought back to Shiro, mind trailing off to Keith as well while it was at it. He sighed, slurping the last of Pidge’s milkshake.

_Soon. We’ll all be together again soon._

*

Lotor was in the construction bay, as he usually was these days. Acxa knew how hyper-focused he could be whenever he started a new project. It was something she’d always admired.

Everything seemed to be going according to the schedule. The ship’s construction was going smoothly and Lotor’s mood hadn’t drifted any further than a slight grimace at the mention of his father.

Axca sighed to herself, praying her news wouldn’t cause any raptures.

The rest of the generals were already with him, Narti stroking Kova while Ezor and Zethrid talked quietly amongst themselves.

“My Lord,” Acxa said, gathering their attention. “I’ve just received a message from central command. Emperor Zarkon requires your presence immediately.” It still seemed so strange to her she couldn’t quite wrap her head around the fact that he was back. The way Lotor had spoken of his father, he made him sound like he was barely even a person, a wisp of a man withering away on his deathbed. And yet the day the news came that Zarkon had fully recovered all Lotor had done was bark a single, harsh laugh. He’d smiled for the rest of the day. It had been… unnerving.

That same smile adorned Lotor’s lips now. “Very well. Prepare a ship.”

“Do you think he’s on to us?” Ezor asked.

“No. My father is simply ready to return to the throne. He can have it. Our plans have not changed.” Lotor’s eyes slid to the side. “Narti, come with me, the rest of you can continue to oversee construction. Acxa, you know all you need to do. I will return shortly.”

Acxa nodded, bowing as Lotor made his exit.

Ezor waited a good five minutes after Lotor had gone before speaking up. “Do you really think this is going to work?”

Zethrid shrugged, huffing through her nose. “Beats me. I can’t complain as long as we keep getting to do what we do.”

“Quiet nay-sayers and infiltrate outposts?” Acxa asked.

Zethrid’s lips curled into a snarl of a smile. “Exactly.”

Acxa looked out to the construction before them. This ship was unlike anything she’d ever seen. It was a little unreal to imagine that it could work. But Lotor was the one seeing this through. Lotor, Acxa fully believed, could do anything he set his mind to. Scarily so. It was why she admired him so much.

“It may take a while still, but I think it will work.”

Ezor arched a delicate brow, lips pursing. “Do you really believe that?”

Acxa met her gaze dead-on. “I do.”

Ezor wilted slightly, eyes darting to the floor.

“I’ll always believe in Lotor,” Acxa added, though it more of a whispered promise to herself. “Always.”

*

**ADAMN:** Mouse, you back yet?

**LanceyLance:** in my room

Adam frowned at the abrupt answer. Lance had seemed fine before he’d gone off on his “victory lap”. Sure, he was a little peeved off from the teasing, but it didn’t seem too bad.

“You’re gonna get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that.”

Adam looked up to see Matt grinning mischievously at him. Little shit.

“Says the one with split ends for days.”

Matt pouted, pinching the ends of his hair. “Not my fault they haven’t heard of conditioner out here.”

“I’ll give you some of the stock from the Castle. That stuff works like magic,” Adam said, making a chef’s kiss. “Seriously, even Keith’s hair started to look lustrous.”

“Where is he by the way?” Matt asked, looking about as if Keith were hiding under a table waiting to be found.

“He’s with the Blades,” Pidge said. She settled herself at her workstation chair, crossing her legs up on the seat. Matt had wanted to see all the gadgets Hunk and Pidge were chattering about, so they’d moved to the workroom Pidge and Hunk had recently set up for themselves.

“Wait, the Blades of Marmora?” Matt asked. “But, they’re all part-Galra? That’s kind of part of the deal, isn’t it?”

Adam coughed. “Yeah, turns out Keith’s mom was a member.”

Adam watched the gears turn slowly in Matt’s head and swore he saw an actual lightbulb switch on when the realization hit.

“NO WAY!” Matt exclaimed. “KEITH’S PART ALIEN!? Wait, then… then that means his dad was the first-ever human to make contact with an alien?”

Adam shrugged. “Dunno. All we know is that Keith’s knife he always used is actually a Marmora blade and that it belonged to his mother.”

Matt hummed to himself, tapping his chin in thought. “Ya know, now that you mention it, his eyes always did seem to glow in the dark a little…”

“RIGHT?!” Adam proclaimed. “I thought I was the only one who noticed!”

“Matt,” Pidge said, waving her brother over. She’d brought up her Galra finder, smiling proudly as her brother perused the hologram.

“This is a pretty sweet algorithm for locating Galra targets within a statistically acceptable margin of error. And of course, you colour-coded it because what are we, animals?”

Adam and Hunk shared an amused look.

“They are definitely related,” Hunk murmured, stuffing a handful of tubular chips into his mouth. It was a new snack he’d recently been experimenting with. It was a bit too salty to Adam’s tastes but Lance and Hunk couldn’t get enough of the stuff.  
“Hunk,” Matt said, “using the Fraunhofer line to track down Voltron, and then the comet? Dude, that’s genius!”

“Oh, eh, well, you know, I try,” Hunk stammered.

Adam elbowed him playfully. “Stop being so modest.”

“They say Fraunhofer was the greatest glassmaker in Europe and then when he died, he took all his greatest recipes with him!” said Matt.

“I wouldn’t mind me some Fraunhofer glass…” Hunk mumbled in thought.

Matt chuckled, whipping something out from his pocket. “Check this out.”

Adam adjusted his glasses, squinting at the small disk in Matt’s hand. By the looks on Hunk and Pidge’s faces, they already seemed to have a good idea of what it was. Matt took pity on Adam, however, and said, “This is all the relevant data from my time with the rebels. I think if we plug this in with the set-up you guys have got here it might fill in the gaps. Then, we might just have the best anti-Galra intelligence mining operation in this or any other reality!”

Adam found that his jaw dropped. “That would be… I mean…” With info like that, Adam could feel the end of the war on the tips of his fingers, just out of reach.

“This one time we went to another reality,” Hunk interrupted. “It sucked.”

Matt startled. “Wait, you what?” He pointed his info chip in Pidge’s face. She didn’t even blink. “You. You’ve been to another reality?”

Pidge smirked, swiping the chip out of her brother’s hand. “No big deal.”

Matt gaped as Pidge got to work, eyes darting between his sister and to Adam. Adam could only shrug in response.

Matt sighed, an ear-splitting grin spreading across his lips. “My little sister.”

Adam nodded. “She is quite something.”

There was a soft _ding!_ from Adam’s pants pocket. He took out his phone to find a message from Keith.

**Brogane2:** Heading out on a mission. Will call you when we get back.

Adam smiled, typing out his reply.

**ADAMN:** You better. Stay safe out there.

**Brogane2:** I know, I know. Lance already made me promise.

**ADAMN:** Oh??? What’s this???

**Brogane2:** Adam, no

**ADAMN:** Still chatting up our favourite Blue Paladin are we?

**Brogane2:** That’s not what it is, and you know it

**ADAMN:** I wouldn’t be teasing you if it was anything else

Keith’s typing bubbles did their little wave. Adam waited patiently for Keith to get over his mini-heart attack at the slight prospect that maybe Lance liked him back.

Eventually, Keith managed to type a reply of:

**Brogane2:** ashjfaklvbdkfshadsadhl

**ADAMN:** AAAAAW! Baby’s first key smash. I’m so proud!

**Brogane2:** I hate you

**ADAMN:** You love me

**Brogane2:** Yeah yeah

**Brogane2:** I’ll phone you when I get back

Adam chuckled, switching off his phone. He was about to tuck it away when it dinged again. Adam unlocked it to see a new message, this time from Lance.

**Lancey-Lance:** save me. the alteans want milkshakes

**ADAMN:** On my way

“I’ve gotta go save Lance from the Alteans,” Adam said, pocketing his phone and heading towards the doors.

Pidge didn’t even miss a beat. “Milkshakes?”

Adam nodded somberly. “Milkshakes.”

“Let us know how it goes,” Pidge said, waving to him with her eyes still glued to her holoscreen.

“Text me if there’s any news from the new intel,” Adam said.

Pidge waved again in reply. Adam chuckled, heading down the hallway towards Lance’s room.

*

A varga had barely passed and Lotor was already back with Narti on his heels.

“How’d it go? Are you fired?” Ezor asked.

“I’m afraid I was… relieved of my command, yes,” Lotor replied. He didn’t look upset in the slightest.

Acxa’s lips twitched slightly. All according to plan then.

“The second ship is complete and ready for testing,” she said, conferring with the holopad in her hands. “They’re just making some final adjustments.”

“Excellent,” Lotor said, coming to Acxa’s side to head over her shoulder. She straightened up, calming her breathing as she felt the quiet puff of Lotor’s breath on her neck.

“S-sixty percent of the comet material has been used in the production of the first two ships, my Lord. We will have more than enough for the creation of the third.”

A hand clasped her shoulder for a moment, giving it a reaffirming squeeze.

“Well done, Acxa,” Lotor said, practically whispering it into her ear. He stepped back, turning his attention to the ship once more. “We’re well on our way.”

*

Adam met up with Lance and the Alteans outside Kalternecker’s pen. She had taken up residence in the Castle’s hologram room where Alfor’s memories had once been stored. Stepping through the doorway, Adam saw that the room had taken on the appearance of spring-green fields with endless amounts of blue skies. Adam desperately wanted to feel a cool breeze on his cheeks, to smell freshly-cut grass and wild flowers. But the hologram could only provide so much.

“Hey man,” Lance said.

Adam waved, saying hello to Coran and Allura genially before sidling up to Lance’s side and whispering into his ear, “So, what’s the problem exactly?”

“They think Kalternecker is a milkshake machine,” Lance said under his breath. “They’re about to be sorely disappointed.”

Adam’s grin turned down-right evil. “Perfect.” With that, he clapped his hands, ushering the Alteans through the door and towards Kalternecker who was busy chewing on a mouthful of Olkarion zinzi reed. Pidge had scanned the product to see if it matched Earth grass in quality. It proved to be a near-flawless match. So now, here stood Kalternecker in all her dust-coated glory, chewing nonstop with heavy eyelids and the occasional tail swish. Her pink ribbon was still perfectly in place on her tail, her nose velvet-soft when Adam stroked it.

“Hello beautiful,” he said.

Kalternecker mooed in response.

Adam didn’t have first-hand experience with farm animals, but Lance’s uncle apparently owned a small farm back in Cuba and had earned more than enough experience in helping out during the summers of his childhood. He’d taught Adam the ropes and, not to brag, but Adam had become pretty knowledgeable in cow care over the last few months.

“Alright,” Lance said, addressing the Alteans. “First off, Kalternecker is a girl.”

“Aaaaah, I see,” Allura said, lips twitching in an embarrassed smile.

“Apologies, Madam!” said Coran, giving a low bow.

Adam held back a snort.

“Right,” Lance said, hooking his ankle around the nearby stool and bringing it closer to Kaletenecker. He sat down, smiling up at the Alteans. “And she’s a cow, so she doesn’t understand you.”

Coran nodded solemnly, “Communication issues, got it.”

Adam was trying very hard not to shake from too much laughter as he pressed record on his phone.

“Also, she doesn’t make milkshakes. She has to be milked,” Lance continued.

A look of confusion flashed across the Altean’s faces, both of their ears flicking back. But they both nodded still as if they were following.

Lance grinned up at the camera, giving it a wink. “Let me show you.” Lance’s smile turned into the most serious look of concentration Adam had ever seen. With a flick of his wrist, a pale had been placed under Kalternecker’s udder. Lance pushed back the sleeves of his silk gown, wiggling his fingers in anticipation.

“Watch and learn!”

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Lance’s fingers easily found a rhythm, milking Kalternecker with ease. The Alteans, on the other hand, looked like they were about to internally combust. Their eyes widened to the size of the saucers, mouths gaping so wide you’d think their jaws had dislocated. Coran was shaking in his boots. Allura was starting to turn blue.

All they could do was watch in horror as Lance continued milking Kalternecker, whistling to himself in tune with the squirting of the milk hitting the pale. When the pale was decently filled, Lance stood up, patting Kalternecker affectionally on the rump. He took two glasses, scooping them each with a healthy dose of the fresh milk. He offered them to the Alteans.

“It’s so thick, it’s almost like a milkshake right now!” Lance proclaimed.

And that was the final straw.

Adam couldn’t help it anymore, he was cackling as the Alteans slowly backed away, eyes never leaving the two glasses in Lance’s hands as if, if they took eyes away just for a second, havoc would ensue.

They were out the door and screaming down the hallway in a flash.

Adam placed his glasses up into his hair, having to wipe away tears of laughter.

Lance was chuckling as well, shaking his head in mock-admonishment. He leaned up against Kalternecker, ankles crossed casually.

“Don’t take it personally, Kalternecker. You’re a beautiful girl and this is whole process is very natural.”

Adam stopped his recording, pulling himself together.

“Ahhh, that was amazing.”

“Psh, you can’t talk,” Lance said. “You looked like you were about to faint when you watched me milk Kalternecker for the first time.”

“Which is why I knew this would be comedy gold,” said Adam, shaking his phone in his hand. “I’m sending this to Keith, even he’ll get a laugh out of this.”

“He’s gone on a mission,” Lance said.

Adam nodded. “I know, but he can watch it when he gets back.”

Lance hummed non-committedly.

Adam glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “Everything okay, Mouse?”

Lance made himself busy, pouring the untouched glasses of milk back into the pale for later use. “Yeah, I’m great! Why do you ask?”

“Just… well, your message earlier seemed a little taciturn.”

Lance straightened up, a confused look on his face. “Taci-what?”

“Off. You seemed a little off, earlier.”

Lance scrubbed a hand through his curls, making them even messier. “Eh… I guess I was just feeling a little down? It’s no biggie.”

“Do you… wanna talk about it?” Adam asked.

Lance took a moment to seriously consider it. Adam waited patiently.

“I guess…” Lance murmured, “Maybe it’s just homesickness? Like, I don’t know, I was kinda able to push it to the back of my mind for a while but now, for some reason, I can’t get it out of my head. It’s like… Ugh, I don’t even know. Some switch just flipped, and I’ve been feeling down and nothing’s helping.”

Gently, Adam asked, “Is this your first time talking about it?”

Lance hesitated, then slowly nodded.

_“Wanna talk about it now?”_ Adam asked, easily slipping into Spanish.

Already, some of the tension melted away from Lance’s shoulders. He always seemed more open when talking in his mother tongue; calmer. And besides, it was a way for Adam to keep all the precious words his mother had taught him close to his heart.

_“Do you ever feel it? Homesick?”_ Lance asked.

Adam shrugged his shoulders. _“My home is where Shiro and Keith are. It’s been like that for a while now.”_

Lance’s eyes widened at the admission. Adam himself felt a little antsy, eyes darting to the floor to avoid Lance’s open staring.

_“Wow,”_ said Lance. _“That’s new.”_

_“What is?”_

_“Dunno, just, you being more open I guess? You’ve gone soft. It suits you.”_

Adam chanced a glance, catching Lance’s gaze. He was wearing his contact again today, both eyes that deep shade of navy blue. He’d done as promised the other day and worn his full makeup look to dinner. Allura and Coran had been stunned speechless while Hunk gave nothing but compliments. Pidge acted as if there was nothing different – a quiet support in her own weird way. Shiro had offered to teach Lance eyeliner tricks if he liked. No one had made a fuss over his two-toned eyes. Maybe they didn’t notice it. Or maybe they already knew not to make a big deal over something that never should have been used to hurt Lance in the first place. Adam felt like scolding him for wearing it again but decided to drop it. _Baby steps,_ Adam thought

_“I hadn’t really noticed,”_ Adam answered. He leaned back on one of the fences adjoining Kalternecker’s stable, making himself comfortable.

_“I think it’s one of those things only other people notice,”_ Lance replied with a smirk.

Adam huffed. _“Whatever you say, Ratón.”_

_“I think we’ve all changed,”_ Lance continued. _“I mean, take Hunk. He can actually pilot a ship! And without getting any motion sickness.”_

_“True,”_ Adam said, humming to himself in thought. _“Pidge has also opened up quite a bit.”_

_“Oh, big time! Back at the Garrison when we were assigned as teammates, she hardly ever hung out with us. Now she and Hunk are glued to the hip.”_

_“You two are also pretty close,”_ Adam added.

Lance’s smile faltered for a second. _“Yeah… though I think now that her brother is back…”_ He tapered off, the sentence left hanging between them like a silk thread about to break.

_“Lance, you weren’t a replacement. You’re her friend.”_

_“Psh, I know that!”_ Lance said, flapping his hand in a dismissive motion. _“But… yeah. I can’t talk. If Ronnie walked through those doors right now, I probably wouldn’t leave her side either.”_

Adam found himself smiling. _“She’d make Allura’s orders seem like kind requests.”_

Lance sniggered, a real smile decorating his lips now. _“One hundred percent.”_

_“Guys? GUYS!”_

Adam startled, nearly slipping from his perch. “Pidge?”

_“Guys, get to the bridge now, we’ve just had a major breakthrough and I don’t think you’re gonna like it.”_

Lance and Adam shared a look. Patting Kalternecker affectionately on the rump, Lance cooed his goodbye before running for the door, Adam hot on his heels.

“What were they doing?” Lance asked, panting.

“Matt was gonna add all the data he’s collected to Pidge’s Galra finder,” Adam explained. “Guess it worked.”

“Don’t know whether I’m happy about that or not.”

Adam frowned. “Me either.”

*

“ZARKON’S ALIVE?!” Adam screeched.

“Seems like it,” Pidge said with a sigh, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“How? Did they say for how long?”

Matt shook his head. “All we know is that Zarkon’s up and running again and he’s already picked his next target.” Matt indicated the new map he and the tech duo had created. Adam could see where the blank spaces had been filled. It was both amazing and terrifying. But right now, Galra fleet upon Galra fleet was banding together to attack a single location. It made Adam’s stomach twist in knots just looking at it.

“Whoever they are, we have to help,” said Allura.

Shiro shook his head, hands on his hips. “I don’t like this. We should be gathering intelligence, not racing head-first into a battle we know nothing about. Especially now that Zarkon is back.”

Everyone went quiet a moment. Adam tapped his fingers on his bicep.

“Well… we just could go check it out!” Pidge suddenly said.

“Uh, Pidgeon,” said Lance, “I think they’d probably notice us.”

Pidge’s smile turned smug. “Not if we’re cloaked.”

“YOU HAVE CLOAKING!?” Matt screeched. He was practically jumping up and down on the spot at the prospect. “Who even are you?!”

Pidge’s cheeks dusted pink at the praise.

“I’m not sure it’s safe for just the Green Lion,” Shiro posed.

“I’m pretty sure I can upgrade Voltron with cloaking,” Pidge replied. “We could all go!”

Lance jabbed Pidge lightly in the ribs, scrubbing his hand through her hair. “Were you just waiting for your big bro to show up for you to roll that one out?” Adam worried at first at the statement, but when he saw the warmth in Lance’s eyes he knew.

“It’s been something I’ve been working on for a while, but I can’t pilot Green and operate the cloaking at the same time,” Pidge said. Her eyes slowly crept towards her brother. “But if I had a co-polite…”

It took Matt a moment to realize what she was suggesting. His eyes sparkled. “Absolutely!”

The two shared a complicated handshake, something Adam remembered from dinners at the Holts years and years ago. It made him smile. He’d let Pidge off for not offering the co-pilot position to him earlier. He knew, deep down, it was always meant for Matt.

“Alright everybody,” Shiro said. “Let’s get to the Lions.”

Already dressed in their armour, the Paladins headed to their stations, Pidge dragging Matt with her and explaining how the ziplines worked.

Adam caught Shiro’s hand, stopping him from getting too far away. The serious leader melted away for a moment as he smiled at Adam.

“Stay safe,” Adam whispered, kissing Shiro lightly on the cheek.

“I will,” Shiro replied.

Adam faltered at his reply but quickly masked it. “Right, get going.”

Shiro squeezed Adam’s hand before disappearing down his elevator.

“Everything alright, Adam?” asked Coran.

“Yeah, yeah everything’s fine,” Adam replied. Except his chest felt tight, his hands clenching and unclenching. They had a routine – a ritual. Adam always said, “Be careful,” or “Stay safe,” and Shiro would always reply, “You know that never works for me,” and then, because of fate or the stars or whatever worked in weird ways, he’d be okay. It’s just something they did.

So why did Shiro change his reply?

*

They were just admiring the newly completed ship when they were attacked.

Axca stumbled into Ezor, who steadied her. The alarms were blaring, the ship shaking and rumbling beneath their feet.

Lotor opened a video channel to Zethrid who was currently on the bridge. “What’s happening?”

“A Galra fleet is attacking us!”

“Return fire!” Lotor ordered.

“Wait… there’s another fleet. And another,” Zethrid cried. “We can’t hold them all off!”

Lotor clucked his tongue in annoyance but otherwise still seemed eerily calm. “Prepare the sincline ships for take-off. Load the comet into mine.” The ship creaked and groaned under duress, giving another violent shake that nearly had them all falling to their knees. Lotor straightened and began walking towards the exit. “We’re leaving.”

Zethrid joined them on the way down to the ship bay. She seemed agitated, her right ear flicking every other tick. Ezor also seemed a little anxious with her fingers idly stroking up and down her bicep. Even Lotor was beginning to show signs, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Narti gave nothing away. Acxa eyed Kova, trying to get a read on the two of them. Ever since they’d returned from Lotor’s audience with Zarkon, something had seemed off. But Acxa couldn’t figure out what it was exactly and with the ship tumbling and shaking non-stop, she couldn’t have her attention split two ways.

“Divert all power to defences,” Lotor ordered the drones. “Hold the attack off until we’re away. These damn –”

Lotor never finished his sentence, the ship suddenly jerking and causing everyone to stumble. Acxa caught herself, Ezor leaning into Zethrid who was patting her down, checking everything was still in place. That was something else Acxa couldn’t divert her attention to, not right now.

“How did they find us?” Ezor cried.

“We must have been tracked,” Zethrid posed.

“No, Narti got rid of all the bugs as soon as we departed –” Lotor started then froze. Acxa couldn’t see his face at this angle but already her stomach began to drop.

Lotor slowly turned, his eyes narrowing as they landed on Narti. It was so quick, Acxa couldn’t have stopped him even if she wanted to. There was the flash of metal and the sound of a crumpling body as it hit the floor.

Ezor stifled her gasp behind her hands. Zethrid looked the other way. But Acxa couldn’t. She just couldn’t.

Narti lay on the floor, a clean incision made directly through her heart. In and out. It was so neatly done; you’d think it was routine surgery.

Kova pawed at the still body he’d just been perched on, making a strangled sound that made Acxa’s chest tighten.

Lotor kneeled down. He cupped Narti’s face in his hand and whispered something under his breath. His head tilted just slightly towards Kova. The two seemed to share a moment before Lotor abruptly stood up and turned his back on the scene, storming towards his ship.

He didn’t have to say anything. Ezor and Zethrid followed after a moment, leaving Acxa alone with what was once her comrade.

Kova had stopped his pawing and instead sat there looking up imploringly at Acxa. Acxa’s fingers twitched, wanting to do something but not knowing what.

“Acxa!”

Acxa clenched her hand into a fist. She bowed her head, whispering, “I’m sorry,” before turning her back on Kova, on the corpse that was but a moment ago alive, and leaving them behind.

*

Adam watched the big screen with bated breath. Pidge had promised him that the cloaking had a ninety-eight percent chance of working and that was great and all except for that pesky little two percent that was blaring bright red warning signs in his head.

“They’ll be okay,” Coran assured him.

Adam only nodded.

Everyone’s faces were up on the screens. Lance seemed more focused than he had been for a while which gave Adam some peace of mind at least.

“Alright, we’re getting close. Everyone, get ready,” Shiro ordered.

Pidge looked over her shoulder to where Adam could see a slither of Matt’s shoulder and hair. Green had produced a second pilot chair for him. He looked at home there with his sister.

“Go ahead,” Pidge said. “Run the cloaking sub-routine.”

Matt nodded, fingers flying over his holo-keyboard. “Initializing cloak.”

Adam watched as Voltron disappeared from sight, melding easily into the red and black star matter around them.

“I don’t know how long we can keep this up,” Matt warned.

“Just keep your guard up,” Shiro said. “We’ll take it as it comes.”

Adam had to blink a few times when Voltron arrived at the attack site. The area was filled with bright oranges and reds from constant firing, ion cannons shooting electric purple beams on their prey.

“What the quiznack?” Lance cried. “It’s Galra-on-Galra violence. Again!”

“Man, these people do not like each other,” Hunk muttered.

Adam couldn’t help finding himself humming in agreement. First Lotor’s attack on that outpost, and now this. With Zarkon suddenly back in the game, Adam wondered if there was a power struggle going on.

Suddenly, two ships broke away from the melee, heading towards Voltron.

“Uhh, whose ships are those?” Pidge asked.

Adam brought the feed up on his datapad, zooming in on the approaching ships. Blue and grey, with orange accents.

“Oh, dear stars I hate it when I’m right,” he muttered. “It’s Lotor!”

“Lotor? Here?” Allura asked.

“Lotor and Zarkon must be fighting for control over the empire,” Shiro said, voicing what Adam already knew.

“Guys,” Hunk said, “Those ships are getting awfully close!”

Lotor’s ships flew past in a blur, and as quickly as they were there, were now gone. Adam looked back to the main screen and startled when he saw Voltron re-appear out of thin air.

“Uh, Matt, what’s going?” Adam asked.

“The drills from Lotor’s ship drives messed with our cloaking spectrum,” Matt explained.

“So you’re out in the open like a baby deer during hunting season,” Adam surmised.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Can you find a workaround?” Pidge asked.

“It’s too late, our cover’s been blown,” Shiro said.

Adam watched in horror as the seemingly endless stream of battlecruisers turned their attention to Voltron. In front of them was a massive sea of smaller fighter pilots, already beginning to charge towards them. Lasers were fired and Voltron flew backwards, dodging where he could.

“Hunk,” Shiro cried, “Laser cannon!”

“On it!”

Voltron’s shoulder cannon appeared, armed and ready. They took fire and millions of shots erupted at once, targeting all the fighter pilots. With them discharged and erupting in front of the battlecruisers, they provided a small wall between Voltron and the Galra.

“That should hold them off, let’s go!”

And with that, Voltron started heading back towards the Castle.

Adam sighed in relief, slumping into Shiro’s chair. Coran patted him on the head consolingly.

“It just never gets easier, watching them,” Adam muttered.

Coran nodded. “I know the feeling.”

There was a wistfulness to Coran’s tone and Adam suddenly realized that this wasn’t Coran’s first team he’d overseen. He had done this ten thousand years ago with the Paladins of old, watching Alfor go out and battle enemy after enemy and no doubt praying to the Ancients each time that he returned safely.

Adam patted Coran’s arm. He trying to think of something to say when his datapad lit up. It was buzzing like crazy.

Adam leapt to his feet, scooping it up and opening it to see what all the commotion was about. Before the Paladins had left, Matt had integrated his data with their own, updating all their maps and radio channels. It seemed there was a new transmission. Adam clicked on the channel, selecting the speaker option so the rest of the team could hear it as well.

_“Attention citizens of the Galra Empire.”_

Adam froze. That voice. He could never forget that voice.

“Is that Zarkon?!” Lance cried. Adam couldn’t answer, too engrossed in what was being said.

_“From this day forward, my son Lotor is to be regarded as a fugitive criminal of the Empire. All citizens are authorized to use deadly force to stop him or any of his soldiers. I repeat, Prince Lotor is an enemy of the state. Engage with extreme prejudice. Kill on sight.”_

The transmission ended. Silence hung over them all.

“He… he’s put the death sentence on his own son?” Adam whispered.

“But why?” Hunk asked. “Like, I get that they’re both up for the same job or whatever, but isn’t this a little extreme?”

Adam shook his head. “Lotor has been active, yes, but he never really acted like an emperor. He was always in the shadows. We’ve never even seen what he looks like. And that business with him attacking that base and trying to steal the teleduv piece… Something’s going on, and Zarkon knows it.”

“Could it have something to do with that new quintessence Keith was talking about?” Lance asked.

“I think that’s our strongest lead, yes.”

“Okay, let’s save further discussions for when we get back,” Shiro said. “This is a lot to process.”

“Shiro’s right. Coran, Adam, prepare the course back to Olkarion. We need to hold a meeting with all the Coalition heads.”

“On it, Princess,” Coran said.

Adam moved from pure muscle memory, his mind running too many possibilities to really focus on what he was doing. Lotor was up to something, something even Zarkon deemed kill-worthy for. But what was it? What could he possibly gain from working behind the empire’s back that he couldn’t as its ruler? There were too many questions yet to be answered and Adam had always hated not knowing things.

*

When they arrived back on Olkarion and everyone was on gathered on the bridge, Allura called a meeting with the Coalition heads – them being Kolivan along with the rebel leaders, Matt’s faction leader included. Olia was short and covered in mocha-brown fur with a snout and ears like a Labrador. She had a quick wit and was an even quicker shot. Adam had taken a liking to her instantly.

When Kolivan appeared on the big screen, Adam was disappointed to see Keith was not with him. He snuck a glance at Lance who seemed to be tapping his foot nervously as well. Keith had said he’d be on a mission but had also promised Adam a video call when he got back. Hopefully, Lance would get one as well, otherwise, Adam was going to need to prod a little. Not that he minded meddling.

The meeting went by quickly, seeing as the information was still new and there wasn’t enough intel on Lotor’s plans yet to form proper conclusions. Kolivan promised to adjust the Blades’ missions and see what he could gather while Matt explained Pidge’s cracking of the Galra code they’d been stuck on for months. It was a successful meeting, the leaders promising to hold a follow up soon, and yet Adam felt like they still hadn’t even chipped the surface.

“You okay?”

Adam looked up to find a frowning Shiro. Adam chuckled, using his thumb to wipe away the little knot between Shiro’s brows. “Yeah, just overthinking.”

“So, the usual?”

Adam shoved him playfully. “Shush. You need a shower. All of you do!” Adam said, addressing all the Paladins.

“Come on, that was barely even a battle!” Lance said.

Adam stuck his nose in the air. “Don’t care, go clean yourselves up or no dessert.”

Lance’s mouth clamped shut at that. “Race you!” he yelled at Pidge who immediately took up the challenge. They were both cracking jokes as they sprinted out the door, flinging half-hearted insults while they were at it. Shiro, Hunk and Allura followed at a more moderate pace, saying that they’d meet them all for supper.

“Pidge has really found her place here,” Matt said.

Adam hummed. “She’s flourished a lot. You should be proud.”

“Oh, I am so proud! I’m prouder than proud, I’m just… she’s just… she’s wow,” Matt rambled excitedly.

“Agreed,” Adam said. “I tend to forget she’s still a kid at times.”

“Yeah, just seeing her in action for those few minutes, I almost didn’t recognize her. It was kinda scary but also exciting,” said Matt. He seemed a little more sombre now, though his eyes still glinted with pride and no doubt happiness.

“So,” Adam said, turning to Matt with a mischievous smile, his eyebrows waggling. “Find any lovely persons while you’ve been away? Need me to play wingman?”

Matt blushed a deep pink. Adam grinned.

“Oh, you have! Who are they, what’s their name?”

Matt floundered a little, eyes darting everywhere except Adam. “It’s nothing official, I’m still getting to know them!”

“Well, that’s a start.”

“Their name is N7.”

Adam faltered a little at that. He’d heard some strange names, sure, but this. “Matt… don’t tell me you fell for an android.”

And the blush just increased to stoplight red.

“Oh my goodness,” Adam sighed, pushing his glasses up into his hair to rub at his temples. “Only you.”

“They’re not full android, okay!” Matt exclaimed. “It’s… a long story. They’ve been through a lot.” Matt idly fingered the scar on his cheek, almost unconsciously.

Adam reeled himself in, perching his glasses back on his nose. “Okay, but I want to hear all the details. You need to keep me up to date.”

“Heh, if only we had our phones,” Matt said, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Though my communicator works pretty well too. Kind of like the Nokia brick of space.”

“Pidge could just build you a phone,” Adam offered. “She did for me.”

Matt’s eyes widened at the prospect. “Your phones work out here?!”

“Dude, my credit card worked at the space mall. Space is weird.”

“There’s a space mall!?”

Adam chuckled, slinging his arm over Matt’s shoulder as he guided him towards the dining hall. “Matt, my friend. You have so much to learn.”

*

Keith’s phone rang for a good minute before he finally picked up the call.

The video was black at first but then the room lights turned on, a light sky-blue hue tinting everything as if it were in moonlight. Keith’s face appeared on the screen, panting.

“Took you long enough,” Adam chastised.

“Sorry, I had to outrun them,” Keith replied.

Adam arched a brow. “Outrun who?”

“The twins. They’re dying to meet more humans.”

“Oh-ho. Looks like little Keef is finally making some friends!”

Keith rolled his eyes. The camera shifted a little as Keith sat on his bunk, leaning up against the headboard. His room was small, maybe only half of the size of the rooms here on the Castle, but Keith seemed to be settling in just fine. He was used to moving around a lot, Adam knew. He’d hoped that when Keith had made his place in their apartment that it would be the last time. Perhaps it was too much to ask, but Adam felt Keith still deserved that forever home. Though, thinking back to what Lance had asked earlier, about Adam being homesick… maybe Keith had found his forever home in them, in team Voltron. Adam hoped it was true.

“Shut up,” Keith said, not unkindly.

“What were their names again? The twins?”

“Zarlog and Zeffin.”

“The quiet one you eat with? Hassain was it?”

“Yep. He’s actually started talking more, which is cool… I guess.”

Adam found himself smiling despite himself. Keith was slowly starting to find his place among the Galra too. It made him feel a bit better, at least in that respect.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Adam replied. “And I really would love to meet them –”

“No way,” Keith said, shaking his head vigorously. “If you and the twins meet, chaos will ensue.”

Adam’s smile turned wicked. “I like the sound of them already.”

Keith glared at him, lips pursing in a very Lance-like pout. “Don’t even think about – ah!”

Suddenly the video went black again. Adam started to panic when he heard Keith struggling with someone but when the phone was picked up again, he nearly burst out laughing at the scene. Keith was wrestling with a beanpole of a Blade on the floor. It reminded Adam of lion cubs playing. There was a snickering behind the camera before it was twisted round and a new face blinked down at Adam. The Blade was the spitting image of Keith’s wrestling partner with lilac skin and scruffy ears at the top of their head, although their cheekbones were a little more prominent, their eyes a golden hue where the other’s, from what Adam could tell, were nearly black.

“Hellooooo,” the Blade cooed. “Am I speaking to the famous Lance?”

Adam huffed, flicking his hair dramatically. “No, but you are speaking to the fabulous Adam.”

“Adam!” The Blade proclaimed. “Keith, you didn’t tell me your guardian was so handsome!”

The camera twisted again, showing the Blade holding Keith in a headlock, chuckling. “It never – agh – came up,” Keith gritted out.

“And who might I be speaking to?” Adam asked.

“Ah, how rude of me,” the camera twisted again. The Blade flumped down on Keith’s bed, making themselves comfortable. “I am Zeffin and that is my brother Zarlog.”

“A pleasure!” Zarlog called off screen.

“So you’re the twins who beats his ass at training,” Adam smirked.

“The very ones!” Zeffin sing-songed.

Adam heard a bit of a scuffle again off-screen and then the camera was swiped up out of Zeffin’s reach. She whined, trying to make a grab for it.

“If you promise to sit still, I’ll let you join the conversation,” Keith proposed.

There was quiet and then Adam heard the sound of bodies making themselves comfortable. When Keith reappeared on the screen it was with two faces flanking his own.

“Hello!” Zarlog greeted.

Adam waved in response. “Thank you for keeping Keith in check. It is much appreciated.”

Keith huffed, blowing a piece of overgrown fringe out of his eyes. It was starting to get long enough that Keith could tie it in a small braid at the back. Adam would never tell it to his face, but the look suited him.

“More like I keep them in check,” Keith muttered. “Feels like a babysitting service whenever we’re paired for a mission.”

“Hey, don’t bad-mouth us in front of your guardian, Kit,” Zeffin said, elbowing Keith.

Adam chuckled at the show of affection. Keith may whine about the twins, but it seemed they’d already managed to sneak their way into his heart, even if Keith wasn’t aware of it himself yet.

“Shall I call you Kit from now on too?” Adam asked.

Keith growled a “No” at the same time the twins cried a “Yes!”

“It’s bad enough you lot baby me here, I don’t need it from family too,” Keith muttered.

Adam startled at Keith’s words. It had been a throw-away line and yet… Adam’s chest started feeling all warm and fuzzy despite himself.

Lance was right, he had gone soft.

“Alright, alright, I’ll leave the babying to the Blades,” Adam promised.

“That’s not what I meant – ugh never mind,” Keith grumbled.

“So, Adam,” Zarlog said, “Please do tell us more about this Lance the Kit keeps mentioning. He won’t give us any of the details and we’ve got a betting pool running.”

“You what?!” Keith shrieked the same time Adam burst out laughing.

“Oh, this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship, I can tell,” Adam managed to say between his laughter and Keith’s sputtering.

“Adam, I swear, if you tell them anything, you will regret it,” Keith growled. For a moment, Adam swore he saw the glint of a fang peeking out from Keith’s lips, but just as quickly, it was gone.

Adam shrugged, grinning at the three of them. “You wouldn’t be so adamant in not saying anything if there was nothing to report, Keith.”

Keith’s snarl turned into a pout. He leaned back, crossing his arms as he averted his eyes. “I hate you.”

“Love you too!” Adam cooed.

“How sweet,” Zeffin said. “You humans are truly very interesting.”

“And yet very complex,” Zarglog added. “Kit tried to explain to us this thing called toast, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it.”

“Trust me, humans confuse me too and I’m one of them,” said Adam, nodding solemnly as if the concept of toast was the bane of everyone’s existence.

“You’re not helping,” Keith grumbled.

“Oh, I think you’ll find I’m helping plenty,” Adam replied.

There was a strange chiming that rang through the speakers. The twins and Keith’s head shot up at the sound.

“That’ll be the dinner chime,” Zeffin explained.

“Adam, it was quite a pleasure!” Zarlog said.

“Please, the pleasure was all mine,” Adam said. “We should do this again sometime!”

Zeffin grinned wickedly, sharp teeth glinting. “Agreed!”

“Next time I’ll invite Pidge!” Adam added.

Keith’s face paled. “Don’t you dare.”

Adam ignored him. “You’ll love her, I promise.”

The twins nodded excitedly. Keith just sighed in despair.

“We’ll leave you to your goodbyes,” Zeffin said, already shuffling off the bed.

“Chat soon!” Adam said, waving.

Keith waited until the door hissed shut to round his meanest, most deadpan stare on Adam.

Adam simply smiled like the (mostly) innocent angel that he was.

“Never again,” Keith said.

“Oh Keith, how you underestimate me,” Adam tsked, shaking his head in mock-disappointment. His teasing slipped away, his face softening to something more genuine. “But really, I’m glad to see you’ve found some people to connect with.”

Keith’s glare melted away, his eyes softening and lips ticking in the corner. “Yeah… they’re cool. Noisy, but cool.”

“Reminds me of a certain prime-coloured Paladin,” Adam mused, tapping his chin.

Keith snorted. “Ever subtle, aren’t you?”

“But really, how’s it going with Lance?”

“It’s… good. We talk almost every day even if it’s just stupid stuff,” Keith’s eyes looked somewhere off-screen, caught somewhere else for a moment. “I didn’t think you could talk this much with one person and never grow bored of it.”

“There’s certainly never a dull moment with Lance,” Adam mused.

“It’s not that,” Keith said, shaking his head. “I don’t know how to explain it… sometimes it’s stupid stuff and then all of a sudden I’m talking about my dad and I don’t feel sad for once. It’s… nice. Really nice.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Adam whispered.

“Yeah…” Keith’s lips ticked into what could almost be called a goofy grin when he suddenly straightened up, his glare making a reappearance. “Why didn’t you give me a head’s up about the makeup!”

At Adam’s questioning look Keith continued, “The other day, I get a picture with Lance asking if he should wear this for dinner and nearly have a heart attack because he looked _gorgeous_. How could you do that to me!?”

Adam broke into a self-satisfied grin. “Like my work, did you?”

Keith grumbled something under his breath along the lines of “Maybe”.

“Glad you liked it,” Adam said with a wink. “Now, off you go. Don’t want you to miss dinner.”

Keith rolled his eyes again, Adam’ slight forgotten for now. “Yeah, yeah, mom. I’m going.”

Adam could only chuckle at the name drop. Keith gave one final wave before the video call ended. Adam slumped back against his pillows with a contented sigh.

He thanked the stars that Keith was doing okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I'm considering the next bonus chapter for _What Adam Doesn't Know_ be "A Day In The Life Of A Blade by Keith Kogane" - thoughts?


	4. Hey Guys, Welcome To Our YouTube Channel! (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeing as they have a little bit of time on their hands, Team Voltron continue videoing their educational vlogs dedicated to helping future space explorers. It just so happens that Adam may or may not allow some mischief to happen inbetween.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Long time, no write. I'm so so sorry. I don't really have a proper excuse except school and life. I hope you're all safe and healthy and keeping yourselves occupied. I just wanted to say a quick thanks to all you lovely readers, new and old, for your kudos and comments. It always makes my day knowing you guys are enjoying the story. So, with that, here be Chapter 4:

Adam had just put the final touches on the settings for Coran’s camera when Pidge shuffled into the interview room. Her hair was up in bed-mussed spikes, her eyes heavy-lidded and struggling to stay open.

“Is there a reason I’ve been dragged here against my will before breakfast?” Pidge muttered through a yawn.

“Yes, because we hardly have any time in the day and you lot still need to record your vlogs.”

Pidge huffed, slumping into the high-backed chair. She twisted it left and right, the chair squeaking at every shift. “Well, I think Keith finding Shiro is a pretty good reason.”

“That it is, but now that you’re here and somewhat presentable, we can get it out of the way,” Adam said.

Pidge stopped her squeaking, slamming her palm flat on the table with a glare. “Hey! I’m presentable!”

“Then why is your hair moving?”

Pidge’s eyes went crossed when she looked up, her hands flying to her hair. After combing through the mess of curls a yellow fluffball appeared, floating down to Pidge’s shoulder.

“Leo! So that’s where you’ve been,” Pidge cried.

Adam frowned. “How long have they been gone?”

Pidge shook her hand in a so-so motion. “A day or two, but it’s chilled.”

Adam pushed his glasses up into his hair, pinching his nose in sheer shock and horror. “You had a space caterpillar living in your hair for two days and _didn’t even notice?_ ”

“It’s been a busy couple of days!”

Adam waved her argument away, replacing his glasses with a heavy sigh. “I worry about you sometimes.”

Pidge grinned, resting her chin in her hand. “Only sometimes?”

Adam matched her grin, an evil glint in his eyes. “When I’m feeling especially nice, yes.”

Pidge blew a raspberry, straightening up. “So, never?”

“Ha ha. You ready or what?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m ready.”

Adam was about to press record when he stopped, pointing to Leo. “No pets.”

“Awwww, Adam!”

“You need to look professional, not like a wannabe Bond villain.”

Pidge huffed, blowing a piece of her fringe out of her face. “Fine. Give me a sec.”

She stood up; Leo still balanced perfectly on her shoulder as she walked up to Adam. Adam frowned, about to ask what she was going to do when she plopped Leo into his hair and scuttled back to her seat, grinning.

Adam froze, arms out, afraid if he moved too much Leo might do something very unsanitary.

“He won’t bite,” Pidge said, not trying to mask her laughter.

Adam narrowed his eyes in an icy glare, slowly straightening up so as not to jostle Leo too much. The caterpillar seemed perfectly content nesting in Adam’s hair, giving the occasional chirp.

“Pidge, if this fluffball poops on me, I’m coming for blood,” Adam warned.

Pidge’s grin only grew wider. “Then don’t get on his bad side.”

“How do you get on the bad side of a caterpillar?!”

Pidge shrugged, adjusting her glasses. “Don’t know. Wanna find out?”

“No.”

“Hey, are you guys going to start recording or what?” a voice called out.

“Sorry, Hunk!” Pidge said. She waved her hand at the camera. “Whenever you’re ready, Tarantino.”

Adam huffed. “Please, if anything, I’m a Spielberg.”

“Who the heck is Spielberg?”

Adam was about to facepalm then thought better of it, worried it would dislodge Leo. “You lot are so uncultured. It’s giving me a migraine.”

“Just start recording already!”

“Alright!”

Adam pressed record and stood back, indicating for Pidge to start.

Unlike with the other Paladins, Adam had had to zoom in a little to make sure Pidge wasn’t dwarfed by the chair. It was a small victory.

“Alright, I’m Pidge, pilot of the Green Lion. Uh… I guess the thing that surprised me most about space is how much more advanced other civilizations are.”

Adam huffed a laugh. “We might as well still be stuck on the clay wheel in comparison to the Olkarie.”

Pidge pointed a finger at him. “Shush, I’m talking.”

Adam raised his hands in surrender.

Pidge continued. “Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted, the technology we encounter every day is incredible. The tech alone on the Castle Ship still brings tears to my eyes. There’s this one function in the exo-skeleton, it makes the ship a hundred times more frictionless than any other – wh-what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing,” Adam said, covering his smile with his hand. “Just, you know, you’re kind of drooling over technology like it’s a steak on camera, but, whatever, it’s your vlog.”

Pidge clamped her mouth shut before pursing her lips in an unamused pout. “People who are actually interested in this stuff will appreciate my rambling; I’ll have you know.”

Adam nodded, “Suuuuure. So, all three of your viewers?”

“ANYWAY! I guess I’ve always had a better relationship with technology than other people… That sort of made school hard a lot of the time but on bad days my brother, Matt, would bring me my favourite dessert and we’d talk shop and that usually helped.”

Adam’s mouth parted slightly in surprise. “Pidge, were you bullied?”

Pidge’s shoulders hunched, her eyes darting off to the side. “Um… not, like, anything major, just… you know, its 2058 and people still think nerds are uncool, like, can’t people just grow up already? Stars…”

“This didn’t happen at the Garrison did it?”

“Nah, there everyone’s into the same thing: space. It was just before that was a struggle. But it’s whatever.”

“Pidge…”

“But, you know, space has provided an opportunity to blend technology with friendship. Like with Rover! We were like two genetically modified peas in a pod. I would know, I programmed him to be like that!”

“Pidge –”

Pidge rested her chin in her hands, a faraway look on her face. “Rover was the best drone a girl could’ve asked for. He was probably one of my closest friends before I really started bonding with the rest of the Paladins.” Her eyes finally met Adam’s, her lips stretching into a wobbly smile. “Besides you, of course.”

Adam was itching to go grapple her into a hug, but the camera was still going, and he didn’t want to stop Pidge now that she was properly talking.

“The Paladins, Allura and Coran all accepted me for who I am, and I couldn’t have asked for better friends or a better family to help me get through all this.”

Adam sniffed a little, his eyes pin-pricking.

Pidge looked like she was about to say more when a screen lit up on her gauntlet with a message. She immediately perked up, standing up so quick she sent her chair flying.

“OH! Matt just reached level thirty-six on Killbot Phantasm One! That’s the final level! I’ve gotta go ask how he did it!”

She ran to Adam, jumping to reach Leo and pluck him from Adam’s head before sprinting out the door. Adam swung around out the door, yelling after her, “Hey! Make sure Matt comes for his video too!”

“You got it!” Pidge said.

“And make double sure he doesn’t look like he stayed up all night playing video games!”

“Yeah, yeah!”

Adam sighed, shaking his head fondly.

“Kids, huh?” Hunk asked. He was sitting outside on the waiting chairs Adam had set up, phone in hand.

Adam chuckled. “Yeah, quite the handful.”

Hunk stood, pocketing his phone. He clapped Adam on the shoulder, offering a warm smile before heading into the interview room.

“Hey, is this thing still recording?”

“Shit.”

*

“Hi, my name’s Hunk, I’m the Paladin of the Yellow Lion. So… Coran asked us to give advice to any future space explorers who want to learn how to survive out in space. Well, I have two words for ya: STAY HOME! It’s what I should’ve done.”

“Hunk…” Adam sighed.

“Na nah nah nah, Adam,” Hunk cried, “Whenever I argue against something dangerous, you guys _never listen_ , so I think I’m allowed to complain to the camera!”

Adam raised his hands in a placating gesture, eyebrows high at Hunk’s tone. “Okay… complain away.”

Hunk sniffed. “Thank you. Now, as I was saying: Space? Not as fun as you’d like to think, oh no. The first day out here Lance goes ahead and dumps me without any notice into Galra range of fire to go and find some magical yellow mechanical cat and try bond with it. I’d been in space for all of maybe two hours and already my head was on the chopping block! Not. Cool. And it’s not only the Galra who’ll try kill ya, oh no, no, even the things you love the most can turn on you!”

“You’re not still on the haunted Castle’s kitchen mishap, are you?”

“Oh, I very much am!”

Adam bit back a smile. “Hunk…”

“Nope! That was a major betrayal. The kitchen was my safe space, the one area where no war or fighting or guns or anything dangerous could taint its sacredness. But then the Castle had to go and turn evil and get the food goo dispenser to pin me down!”

“You gotta admit it was a little bit funny.”

“It was not!”

“It was, just a little.”

Hunk had crossed his arms, thick brows furrowed in a deeply unimpressed look. “Betrayal, Adam. _Betrayal_.” He slumped back in his chair, face smoothing out into something calmer. Adam was hoping he was finally going to stop the complain train but boy was he wrong.

“Anyway, like I was saying, every plan involves doing something dangerous. Like going into the stomach of a weblum in order to get scultrite lenses for the teleduv after watching the most bogus and corrupted instruction video I’d ever seen. I mean, who even thought of that?! And guess how that went. Just guess!”

There was a pause. Adam slowly raised his hand. When Hunk nodded at him, Adam said, “Not good?”

“‘Not good’ is an understatement, Adam!”

“I mean, I was there –”

“Yeah, but you didn’t get sucked into a tube of viscous stomach liquid and zipped about the entire body of a giant space whale, now did you?”

Adam lowered his hand. “Okay, no.”

“No. Exactly.” Hunk gave himself a little shake, bringing himself back from the terrible memory. “So, as I said, stay home! Cause even when you think you’ve made an ally, you’re probably wrong.”

“Don’t tell me this is about Rolo and Nyma –”

“Oh, it very much is!” Hunk cried, thunking a fist on the tabletop. “And you can’t talk, you hated Rolo just as much as I did!”

“He was sinking my budding ship!”

Hunk’s expression went perfectly deadpan. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Adam sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “You and Pidge are both so blind to anything that isn’t at least ninety percent robot.”

Hunk tilted his head slightly in confusion. “Still don’t get it.”

“Never mind,” Adam said. “You can continue… venting, or whatever.”

Hunk pursed his lips. “Eh, I mean, that’s pretty much it? It’s not _all_ bad out here, I mean there are definitely some really cool aliens like the space mice, or my girlfriend, Shay.”

“Shay, I one hundred percent agree on,” Adam said, “The space mice, however, can absolutely kill a person and make it look like an accident and that makes me worry. Deeply.”

“What? The mice?” Hunk asked in disbelief.

“You didn’t see them take down a Galra droid single… well not handedly, pawdedly? Anyway, they pack a punch and all I can say is don’t get on their bad side. Or Allura’s for that matter.”

Hunk arched a single, thick brow. “Says the guy who probably held the biggest grudge against her for nearly a month.”

“I had every reason!” Adam argued.

“Yeah, I guess,” Hunk said, nodding. “Kinda wish I’d said something back then. You know, with that whole Keith being Galra and Allura sort of hating him for a while. I mean, I know what it’s like, to be judged without even having to say anything to anyone.”

Adam quietened, arms hanging slack at his sides. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, man, I mean, the world’s come a long way but you still get those assholes who assume things just because my skin isn’t white as newly laid snow.”

Adam nodded solemnly. “Feel you on that. When my dad first opened his restaurant, some critics didn’t even so much as step foot in there and already they’d made up their minds that it was just another Pakistani restaurant. That the food wouldn’t suit their pallets. Assholes. My dad curated recipes from all over the world thanks to my mom. She was a travelling photographer and had a lot of connections. I’m not being biased when I say my dad’s food was paramount. It was only after my mom called in a favour with a critic friend that he started getting noticed. Before its fifth anniversary, my dad’s restaurant had already gotten its first Michelin star.”

“Woah…”

“Yeah,” Adam said, voice soft at the memory. “He showed those assholes. It’s why I wasn’t going to let Keith have to go through any of that shit if I could help it. Not when he came out and not when he found out that he was part Galra.”

Hunk nodded, lips ticking in a small smile. “Did I ever tell you how awesome you are?”

Adam startled. “Huh?”

Hunk shrugged. “I don’t know man, just. You’re a really good person, even if you like to pretend to be mean.”

Adam scoffed. “I’m just… I’m just doing what my mom and dad raised me to do.”

“And that’s amazing.”

Adam’s cheeks were beginning to burn. He coughed loudly, flapping his arm at Hunk. “This is supposed to be your interview. Any last words?”

“Hmmm, well, I mean. Even though I prefer not to have my life in danger at all hours of the day,” Hunk said, “There is something really cool about helping all the different people we meet. And I guess… that’s why I’m actually kind of glad I didn’t stay home.” Hunk gave the camera a genuine smile before looking at Adam. “That okay?”

Adam stopped the camera’s recording, shooting a Hunk a smile. “Yeah. It was perfect.”

“Am I late?!”

Matt Holt, in all his bedraggled rebel glory, was doubled over panting in the doorway.

“Mathematics Holt, right on time!” Adam said.

Hunk pushed back from his chair, offering it to Matt. Matt took it, grinning as he said, “Thank you!”

Hunk offered Adam a wave before heading out, the door about to close behind him when Pidge and Lance waltzed through. They both looked rather smug. Adam didn’t know why, and he did not like that he didn’t. Not one bit.

“And you’re here because?” Adam asked.

“You’ll see,” Pidge replied cryptically and wow, yes, Adam was very much not into this.

“Mouse?” he asked.

Lance simply shook his head, indicating to Matt.

With a resigned sigh, Adam adjusted the camera, putting Matt center frame before hitting record.

“Alrighty!” Matt said, “What’s up, everyone, my name’s Matt Holt, Rebel Captain extraordinaire and extremely handsome brother of the Green Paladin. Now, I’m here today because my good friend Lance over there bets that I can’t drink a whole cup of this stuff called nunvil!”

Adam’s heart stopped. He literally felt his entire body freeze over and his mind blanked for a second.

“Oh no…”

“So,” Matt continued, completely oblivious to Adam’s mini-crisis, “Ya’ll are about to witness me chug a whole bottle of it!”

From somewhere in the folds of his cloak, Matt unearthed a litre bottle of neon-pink nunvil.

“Matt,” Adam started.

But Matt wasn’t listening, the cork already popped and the lip of the glass tipping the contents down his throat.

Pidge and Lance were chanting “Chug! Chug!” and all Adam could do was wait until the first drop hit Matt’s stomach.

He was surprised Matt lasted a full five seconds, a good quarter of the bottle already swallowed before his eyes widened comically and he froze. He dropped the bottle, Pidge catching it just in time before the glass hit the floor. Matt had frozen. Everyone waited with bated breath and then –

“HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THINGS GOOD!” Matt cried. He clutched his throat, coughing and hacking while Lance and Pidge laughed their asses off.

Adam shook his head, swearing under his breath. “I don’t get paid enough to babysit you idiots.”

*

Once Matt had been dragged off to the infirmary by a still cackling Pidge and Lance to ensure his stomach didn’t need pumping, Adam trudged back into the interview room glasses tucked into the collar of his sweater as he rubbed his temples. He loved these kids, he really did, and he was all for pranks and putting people in their place and usually, on any other day he’d be all for something like this but he just wasn’t in the mood and prayed to all the stars above that Shiro wouldn’t kill him when he heard what happened. Shiro was supposed to be recording his vlog next but he was still stuck in a meeting with Allura and some of the other higher-ups in the Coalition, so he at least had a couple more minutes to live.

Adam slumped into the interview chair with a sigh, melting so low his head might as well be resting on the seat cushion. He squinted the camera wobbling in and out of focus without the help of his glasses. Everyone else had their turn except for Shiro and he had the time…

Before he could talk himself out of it, Adam stood up and readied the camera. He pressed record and folded himself carefully into the chair, making himself comfortable. He put his glasses back in place, patted his hair to make sure it wasn’t too wild and finally faced the camera properly, hands folded in front of him on the tabletop.

“Right. Hello, my name is Adam Wadekar, I’m one of the two members who fly the Castle Ship. Um…” His mind suddenly went blank. He wasn’t usually shy or nervous when it came to cameras, in fact, he usually thrived under all the attention. But staring back at that lonely eye in this dead-silent room on his own, he kind of understood why Keith suddenly clammed up the way he did.

Adam cleared his throat, shifting a little in his seat to make himself more comfortable. “Okay, um, well, as you might have parsed from the other Paladins, this whole…. trip wasn’t really on the agenda. We sort of all tumbled into our roles in a war that, until last year, we didn’t even know about. We all went to the Garrison. We thought we knew what we were getting into when we decided that space exploration was our future. But I don’t think any of us could have imagined that this was where we would end up. I’m not saying I regret it. I don’t. Being out here with this small group of amazing people… I’ve found a family that I didn’t even realise I’d been missing until now. Okay, well, I guess that’s not totally the truth. I’ve never really known any of my relatives. My father’s side wasn’t pleased when they found out my mother was pregnant outside of wedlock – very medieval I know – and we only stayed in Cuba until I was around five before moving to the states. I don’t remember a lot except flashes of days at the beach and the sweet taste of dulce de leche ice cream and a very small house filled with far too many chatty people. When he moved to the states and it was the three of us, mom and I always made sure something was going on, something exciting and interesting and we sure as hell kept my dad on his toes. So, when mom passed and it was just me and Babba, everything seemed a lot quieter without her around. And then somehow I got it in my mind that I wanted to go to space and I got myself enrolled and accepted into the Garrison and there was this asshole in my class who kept trying to one-up me and long story short we became best friends and later because isn’t that the way, boyfriends. When dad passed… Shiro and I, we… it was the two of us against the world. Shiro had his parents back in Japan, but he couldn’t really afford to fly back and forth often. So, when he asked me to move in with him after graduation, I obviously said yes. And it was nice and quiet except when it wasn’t and we got a cat and then we somehow adopted a kid who, for the most part, acted like he very much did not give a shit about himself or his wellbeing. Being a mother at age twenty is fucking tough and kudos to all the young parents out there. I thank the stars every day that we didn’t have to deal with nappies. Keith was… unexpected but… well, let’s just say he and Shiro were brothers in everything but blood and I wasn’t about to separate them anytime soon even though Keith, lactose-intolerant punk that he is, always drank the last of the milk and somehow got to be Butterscotch’s favourite human.”

Adam took a deep breath, the memories swirling in his head now the longer he talked. Keith and Shiro passed out on the couch together with Butterscotch nestled between them. Days out in the desert where the two tried to one-up each other on their hoverbikes. Pizza night and catching Keith up on all the movies he missed growing up in the foster system. Adam didn’t try to hide the fond smile such memories brought about.

“Stars, I miss those days. Keith was trying to figure out how to be social at school while Shiro went on the occasional mission and only caused me one heart attack a month and I became a teacher of all things and it was just so _good_. And then it wasn’t… and then it was again, and then it wasn’t _again_ and now I don’t even know I just – ugh!” Adam hung his head in his hands. “I know what we’re doing is good but there are days where I feel like… is it worth it? After everything that’s happened, still happening? I don’t… I don’t know and that fucking terrifies me and I just –”

“Adam?”

Adam startled, looking up to see Shiro leaned up in the doorway.

“Hey,” Adam said.

“Hi…”

“I was, um… How long have you been there?”

“Just got here,” Shiro said, “Found you dramatically monologuing. I’m only slightly worried.”

Adam offered a weak chuckle. “Don’t be. Um… here, let me –” Adam stood, crossing over to the camera and stopping the recording. He felt a pleasant warmth as Shiro encircled him in his strong arms from behind, hooking his chin over Adam’s shoulder.

“You okay?” Shiro whispered.

“Yeah,” Adam replied. “Just… it’s been a long day.”

“It’s not even ten in the morning.”

“Ugh, don’t tell me that!”

Shiro chuckled. Placing a kiss to Adam’s cheek, he stood back and started for the chair.

“How was the meeting?” Adam asked.

“Good, mostly positive news,” Shiro said, making himself comfortable in the chair. He looked put together, his hair tied back in a neat braid, Paladin armour without so much as a scuff on it. He was smiling easily, his skin a healthy shade, no shaking in his hands, no tense muscles. He looked… happy.

“I’m glad,” Adam said.

“So am I,” Shiro replied, knowing Adam meant more than just about the meeting.

“So… you ready for your big interview?” Adam asked.

Shiro slumped a little. “I never know what to say for these things.”

“You literally speak in positive leader-y metaphors in your sleep, babe.”

Shiro’s ears pinkened. “Oh, shush.”

“Right!” Adam said, “Going live in three, two, one.”

Shiro cleared his throat, folding his hands in front of himself on the table. He offered a genial smile to the camera. “Hello, I am Shiro. I pilot the Black Lion. Seems I’m the last of us to share my memories.” Shiro looked over the camera to Adam, his eyebrow twitching just slightly in question. Adam pulled a face at him which got a small chuckle. It quickly faded, however, Shiro’s gaze averting to the table where his hands gripped each other tightly.

“Though these days… I can’t always seem to trust my memories.”

Adam frowned. His finger hovered over the record button, about to press stop when Shiro gave himself a little shake and looked back up at the camera.

“What I do know is that these heroic men and women wouldn’t be on this dangerous mission if it weren’t for me.” Shiro’s gaze hardened. “But not one of them has ever run from the fight. They’ve always run towards it.” He hummed to himself, cupping his chin in thought before looking to the camera as if for confirmation. “Were they the most conventional of soldiers…”

Adam blew a raspberry. “Fuck no.”

Shiro gaped at him. “Adam!”

“What?! I’m just being honest!”

“Well can you at least be a little less crass about it?” Shiro said though Adam could see he was fighting back laughter.

“I’m just sayin’, we all needed a little elbow grease before the teamwork started flowing.”

“Okay, true,” Shiro said. “Though I’m not really the most conventional of leaders either.”

“Oh, that’s right Mr. Blam! Blam! Blam!” Adam said, forming a gun with his fingers and posing dramatically with it.

“I can’t believe you still remember that!”

“Of course I do, I have it on video!”

“Geez, what embarrassing moment haven’t you videoed.”

Adam winked. “None. I’m _that_ good.”

“Oh, I know,” Shiro said and something in his gaze made Adam’s cheeks heat up.

“A-anyway, you were saying?” Adam stuttered.

“Right. Each one of them would do anything they could for each other. I think it’s what makes us such a tight-knit family.”

“Even though Keith has flown the nest,” Adam grumbled.

“Is somebody still having Empty Nest Syndrome?” Shiro sing-songed.

Adam stamped his foot. “I am not! I’m just…” he deflated. “Okay, yes, I still miss him. Sue me.”

“I miss him too,” Shiro said, offering an encouraging smile.

“Which is why we are video chatting him tonight,” Adam said, giving Shiro a pointed look. “You’ve been missing our chats lately. I haven’t even introduced you to the twins yet!”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Shiro. He ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous smile. “Anyway, if we’re a space family then that makes me the space… uncle?”

“What? No, you’re Space Dad,” Adam corrected.

Shiro arched a brow in question. “Oh really?”

“Babe, we’ve discussed this. You’re Space Dad, I’m Space Mom – involuntarily, I might add,” at this Shiro gave Adam a _you’re not fooling me_ look which Adam promptly ignored, “– Coran is Space Uncle and the rest of the Paladins are our kids. Even miss Snooty Princess Peach.”

“Isn’t she, like, a hundred and eighteen?”

“I did the math, she’s practically Keith’s age in human years,” Adam explained.

“Ah… okay,” Shiro said, nodding along, though he was beginning to crack into another smile.

“Don’t give me that look!” Adam cried. “You’re the one that brought up family stuff!”

“Alright, _Mom_.”

Adam pulled a face. “Ew, no, you don’t get to call me that.”

“Momma Bear? Mommy-kins?”

“Stooop!”

Shiro burst into laughter and Adam couldn’t help but join in. This was ridiculous and Shiro’s vlog was going to need some serious editing, but Adam didn’t care. It had been so long since he last laughed like this.

They eventually managed to calm down enough for Shiro to continue. He gave the camera a serious look.

“The universe is counting on Team Voltron to win this war and my team is counting on me. So, I will do whatever it takes to make sure they get home safe. Whatever it takes.”

Adam’s body gave an involuntary shiver at Shiro’s tone. It was serious and firm and almost _deadly_ the way he stared down the camera. Adam shakily pressed the record button, stopping the video feed.

Instantly, Shiro’s serious look melted into a smile. He blinked up at Adam, dove-grey eyes soft. “How was that?”

Adam swallowed thickly, reeling himself in. “Besides the parts where we completely derailed the conversation, I think it’ll be passable.”

Shiro stood, tucking the chair in before approaching Adam. He took Adam’s hands in his own, thumb stroking idly over the back of Adam’s hands.

It brought back images of late nights together, Adam rubbing soothing circles into Shiro’s knuckles when the muscle spasms hit. He’d done it plenty of times for him whenever they slept over during their first few months here but ever since his return, Shiro’s spasms seemed to have dwindled.

“Are you and Coran doing something different with your pod sessions?” Adam asked.

Shiro blinked down at him in surprise. “Uh… no? Why?”

“It’s just… your spasms don’t seem to happen as often. I thought maybe you were trying some new, I don’t know, miracle pill or whatever.”

Shiro let out an amused huff, stepping closer so that he could rest his forehead against Adam’s.

“No miracle pills. Maybe keeping busy is helping.”

Adam frowned. It couldn’t be as easy as that. They’d tried everything on Earth. The Garrison had some of the best medical advancements in their toolkit and the best they could do were the stimulation bracelets Shiro wore to help keep the tremors at bay. But Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy wasn’t something you could cure, only detain for a little while. Buy yourself some extra time and slow down the process so that you could squeeze in a few extra years of a fully functioning body. But they were both twenty-six, by now Shiro should have been, Stars, Adam hated the phrase, but, _deteriorating_. His health, his body… it should have started failing him by now.

The words were on the tip of his tongue but something caused him to swallow them at the last second. He gave Shiro his most convincing smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead before stepping back.

“I’m glad.” He carefully unscrewed the camera from its tripod, cradling it in both hands. “I’m gonna go give Coran this piece of junk and pray the footage turned out okay.”

Shiro’s smile faltered for a second, but just as quickly, it was shining at full wattage. “Alright. I’ll see you later?”

“Mhm.”

Adam waited until Shiro was well passed around the bend before heading out. After doing a quick search, he found Coran on the bridge, just finishing up a video call with a planet leader.

“Ah, Adam! Perfect timing,” he said, banishing the screen. “All the videos are done and dusted then?”

“Yeah,” Adam said, passing the camera over. Coran took it and started looking over the footage, humming to himself. Adam hesitated, fidgeting on the spot.

Coran looked up and frowned. “Everything alright?”

“Um… I – How’s Shiro’s pod sessions going?”

Coran’s brows furrowed, his ears folding back. “What do you mean?”

“How are they? Has he been showing any signs of… are his symptoms worsening or maybe –?”

Coran waved a hand, stopping Adam. “I’m sorry, I’m confused?”

“Wh-what? Why?”

Coran pursed his lips, his moustache twitching slightly. “Well, Shiro said he’d been doing his pod sessions with you?”

Adam’s stomach bottomed out. Suddenly his heartbeat was thumping in his ears, nearly drowning out whatever Coran was saying. This… this wasn’t right. Shiro wouldn’t lie. He doesn’t lie – he’s _terrible_ at lying. Adam would know. He always knew when Shiro was trying to hide something so why –

“Adam? Adam, are you okay?”

Adam blinked, surprised to find Coran much closer than before. There was a hand on his shoulder and Coran was looking at him with concern in his eyes.

_Can’t let him know. Not yet. Not enough information._

Adam put on a smile. “Ah, no, that’s right, I was just worried he skipped his latest session. I had a meeting at our usual time so I asked him to ask you to help supervise. Guess it slipped his mind.”

Coran’s ears perked up, concern replaced with relief. People would always choose the nice-sounding lie than the bitter truth that something might be wrong.

_Is that what I’ve been doing all this time?_

“Right, that explains it!” Coran said, giving Adam’s shoulder a quick squeeze before dropping his hand. “Well, if you need any help let me know, alright?”

“Of course,” Adam said. “Let me know if we need any vlogs re-recorded?”

“Right-o! Thanks again, Adam!”

“No worries.”

With that, Adam spun on his heel and walked calmly off the bridge. He picked up his pace as soon as the door shut and before he knew it, he was running down the hallways, whipping around the corners and breathing heavily as he sped up faster and faster. He nearly passed the infirmary he was going so fast.

He came to a jerky halt, hesitating outside the door.

Taking a deep breath, Adam stepped into the infirmary and walked towards the info podium.

“Bring up all files on pod sessions in the last three months for patient Shirogane, Takashi,” Adam ordered.

The screen danced with numbers and letters of the Altean alphabet as the computer searched and then five horrible letters appeared on the screen in bright red.

**ERROR - 0 FILES FOUND**

Adam’s hands formed into tight fists.

His voice was eerily calm as he commanded, “Bring up all files on the pod sessions in the last six months for patient Shirogane, Takashi.”

Again, the screen loaded and again those same five letters.

**ERROR – 0 FILES FOUND**

“Bring up the last file on pod session for patient Shirogane, Takashi,” Adam said.

The computer loaded and finally he had an answer.

**LAST POD SESSION: 293827848-4748-DCP**

Adam did the math in his head. Shiro’s last pod session was over six months ago. The day Keith found him.

Adam selected the file, eyes skimming over the general analysis. He’d been undernourished with a major injury to his left thigh. Skin of his wrists was slightly raw – yes, yes, but what about –

“Oh, dear Stars.”

_Previous Case of Human Illness: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy_  
_Percentage: 0%_

Adam stared at that large, round nothing of a number for Stars knows how long.

“Impossible… that’s…” Adam scrolled further back to Shiro’s older files, from before he went missing. Over the three months they’d been in space, before their attack on Zarkon with the Teleduv, Shiro’s Muscular Dystrophy had increased incrementally in percentage. His last recorded session read as follows:

_Case of Human Illness: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy_  
_Percentage: 68.92%_  
_Major Symptoms Confirmed:  
Tremors  
Dizziness  
Shortness of breath  
Muscle contractions  
Fainting  
Muscle deterioration  
Temporary loss of function in right hand_

Adam’s entire body felt like it was on fire. Tears were pricking at the corners of his eyes, his vision turning blurry.

_Shiro. Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?_

“Idiot,” Adam spat under his breath.

He scrolled further down. There was more detailed information explaining which muscles were deteriorating where, how he would soon no longer be able to walk, let alone move on his own. Adam swallowed back bile as he read the final line.

_Projected Life Span: One Decapheob_

His fist slammed down hard on the screen and Adam found enough sense to be thankful that it was a holoscreen and not made of glass.

He didn’t know how long he stood there hunched over the podium. He was gripping the edges tight enough to break the skin of his palms, his chest heaving as he talked himself down from a panic attack. He’d only ever experienced this once before, back in their school days. They were barely in the second semester of their senior year when Shiro had an accident. He’d been flying one of the training jets in preparation for their final exam. Up until junior year, cadets had to use the simulators. Senior year is where you flew the real thing. And until then, Shiro had been great, more than great. He was top of the class, everyone and their mother well assured he’d pass with flying colours. So when Adam saw Shiro’s jet begin to wobble he knew something was wrong. He’d looked to the teacher, who had direct comms with Shiro in the cockpit. They’d looked panicked, words tumbling as they spoke into the comms in their ear. All Adam could do was watch in horror as Shiro’s jet began to dip dangerously lower and lower, jerking and twisting at odd angles. By some miracle, Shiro managed to land without causing any major damage to either himself or the jet, though he did hit his head and earn a small concussion. Upon seeing Shiro being lifted out of the cockpit, blood gushing down from his temple, his body limp, Adam had completely shut down. He didn’t remember crouching into a tight ball, his breathing erratic and vision blurry as an assistant teacher tried to talk him down.

It had all happened so fast.

That was when Adam learned about Shiro’s illness. Four years of friendship and Adam only found out because Shiro managed to fuck up badly enough to get himself stuck in the hospital ward. It was after that little incident Shiro began to wear his bracelet.

When Adam had gone to see him, Shiro had had the gall to tell him not to worry.

“It’s no big deal,” he’d said, offering an empty smile that flickered in the corner because they both knew that actually, yes, it was a huge fucking deal.

Adam had been torn between shouting at him for being so stupid and kissing him because thank the Stars he’d been smart enough to land when he did. That was also when Adam realised that maybe he wanted to be a little more than just friends with Shiro.

It had been a long day.

Adam didn’t know how long it took, but eventually, he got his breathing back under control. He straightened up, flexing his hands to work the stiffness out. He closed all the files he’d opened, making sure to leave no trace of his search behind and without so much as a glance at the pods, turned on his heel and left.

He didn’t know what this meant. He didn’t know where to start to search for answers. But if there was one thing Adam was certain of it was that he hated not knowing things.

He was going to get to the bottom of this. No matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I'm sorry 
> 
> So... in regards to Shiro's illness, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a real thing and those with it unfortunately only live into early adulthood. I chose it for Shiro's illness seeing as the show was kind of vague about his exact diagnosis but I also wanted there to be... time limit for Shiro, let's say. I took some creative liberties, so not everything I've written in Shiro's case is 100% factually correct. Seeing as Voltron is set in the future, I sort of took the probability of medical advancements into consideration, hence why Shiro has managed as well as he has until now. 
> 
> So now that _that_ cat's out of the bag, what lays in store for Adam and Shiro? Tune in next time where I try fix probs one of my least favourite Voltron episodes: The Voltron (Shit) Show! (*heavy sigh* Dear Stars above I'm going to have my work cut out for me)
> 
> P.S. Matt's little cameo vlog is based off of [this](https://strixmoonwing.tumblr.com/post/166619822742/if-matt-holt-gets-his-own-vlog) hilarious post by strixmoonwing on Tumblr!


	5. The Show Must Go On!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The show must go on!"
> 
> "... Must it, really?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you know how in the tags it says "musical episode"? Well ... The time has come :)

“Explain to me again why we are here?”

‘Here’ was, in fact, a newly re-built hospital for war veterans. Voltron had just finished adding the final power column to the hospital generator, the Paladins and Adam escorted by Coran through one identical hall after another until they crowded into what Adam could only describe as an oversized broom closet. Spare bits of machinery and cleaning equipment littered every surface, a single dull lightbulb providing barely enough light to see more than just shadowy outlines of each other.

“We, my good Adam, are backstage!” Coran exclaimed.

Silence settled over them all. Coran looked to each of them expectantly and when no one gave a proper response, he wilted.

“Come on, everyone, we talked about this!”

“Yeah, about putting on more rallies to recruit newly freed populations to the Coalition,” Pidge said.

“Yeah, so why are in here and not outside getting ready for some razzle dazzle time?” asked Lance.

“I scaled down the show so you could do it inside for the patients,” explained Coran. “Now check your wrist devices, I uploaded a script for you all.”

Adam peered over Shiro’s shoulder, speed-reading through the script Coran had given them. He frowned. “This is not factually correct at all.”

“Well, that’s because it’s the _legend_ of Voltron, not the documentary of Voltron,” Coran said rather haughtily. “Speaking of which, Allura you’ll be playing Keith!”

“HUH?!” Allura pulled the most disgusted face Adam had ever seen. He swallowed his laughter, snapping a quick picture to send to Keith later.

“Keith leaving the team hasn’t become common knowledge yet, so I didn’t wish to confuse anyone,” Coran said, looking to Allura apologetically. “Besides, playing Keith is really easy, just act moody!”

Allura crossed her arms with a “humph”, pouting.

“There you go!” Coran said.

“Adam,” Shiro whispered nervously, “We both know I can’t act.”

_Then why have you managed to lie to me all these months?_

“You’ll be fine,” Adam said, patting Shiro lightly on the shoulder. “It’s just one performance.”

Shiro nodded, though he didn’t look convinced.

“Come on along everyone. You’ll be fine just as long as you follow the script!” Coran said, ushering the Paladins out behind a curtain and towards the make-shift stage. Adam trailed behind them, bringing out his phone. There was no way he was not going to miss this prime blackmail opportunity.

Coran cleared his throat, running through a few quick vocal exercises that consisted of making strange yodelling sounds before stepping out onto the stage. A spotlight appeared from above, illuminating him in a pool of white light.

“Ladies and gentlealiens,” Adam snorted, “Bear witness to the Paladins of Voltron as they attack Zarkon’s base to save the helpless Princess Allura!” With a dramatic sweeping arm gesture, the spotlight moved away from Coran and focused on Shiro. He raised a hand, blinking back the bright light.

Adam hesitated a moment, worried that maybe this would be too much for him but then Coran hissed a “Shiro, you’re on!” and Shiro straightened up, bringing out his script.

He read in what could almost be called a sarcastic tone, his scrunching up the longer he read. “I will save the Princess even if it means taking down on the Galra Empire with my bare… hand.”

Coran looked to Adam with pride as if expecting a “Well done” for his frankly terrible joke. Adam gave a blank look before turning his attention back to the show.

Hunk and Pidge trudged on stage. Hunk eyed the crowd nervously as he said, “You won’t have to do it alone because you’ll have me, Hunk.”

Pidge flat out looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here, not even bothering to mask her disdain as she recited in a monotone voice, “And me, Pidge.”

Lance, on the other hand, seemed to be loving this, bolting onto the stage and striking a pose. “And me, Lance!” He checked his script, reading the stage direction out loud, “Holds bayard dashingly… oh!” With a flick of his wrist, Lance’s bayard appeared. He added his Colgate smile, winking to the crowd.

Allura joined his side, starting in a semi-bright tone then, upon remembering who she’s supposed to be, slowly devolving into something more along the lines of a grumpy pre-pubescent teenager. A very classic Keith impression if Adam does say so himself.

“And me, Keith.”

“Thank you, team, for always being by my side through thick and thin,” Shiro recited. “Now, come along so we can –”

Everyone exclaimed at once in varying levels of declining enthusiasm, “Defeat Zarkon!”

Suddenly, Coran dashed onto the stage, wearing a frankly ratty-looking wig that Adam guessed was supposed to resemble Allura’s hair as he cried, “My heroes!”

Everyone held their breath, awaiting applause.

There was none.

The overhead lights came back on to reveal an empty auditorium, not a single veteran in sight.

“Well, that bombed!” Hunk said, banishing his script with a huff.

“Yeah, speaking bombs,” Lance said, “We should go back to doing air shows with explosions and lasers! The people loved it!”

“I agree,” Allura said.

“Same here.”

“Me too.”

Adam stopped his recording, pocketing his phone as the Paladins trudged off stage. Adam had expected for it be not-so-great but that… that was something else. He was seriously considering deleting the video for all their sakes.

Shiro was shaking his head in, a look of pure mortification plastered on his face as he stepped down the stairs and towards the exit, following the rest of the Paladins. Adam jumped down the stairs two at a time to catch up. He was about to pat Shiro on the shoulder when he thought better of it, instead coming up alongside him and making sure Shiro saw him before speaking.

“Hey, okay?”

Shiro still startled though his mortified look easily melted upon seeing Adam. “Ah… no, not really. Those lights, they reminded me of the arena.”

Adam stopped, watching as the other Paladins walked off around the corner before turning back to Shiro.

“Do you… wanna talk about it?”

Shiro sighed, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “Honestly? I think I just need a nap. That was… a lot.”

Adam nodded. “I honestly don’t know what Coran was thinking. Speaking of, where is Coran?”

“Uh, I think he’s still in the auditorium?” Shiro said though he seemed distracted, his gaze fixed somewhere far.

Adam rested his hand on Shiro’s cheek, bringing his gaze back to him. “How about this, you go make yourself comfortable in the room and I’ll bring you some tea, okay?”

Shiro smiled, leaning into his touch. “Yeah, sounds good.”

“I’ll see you in a bit,” Adam promised, dropping his hand.

He watched Shiro walk off, waiting until he’d rounded the corner before dropping his smile.

After discovering Shiro’s files in the infirmary Adam had been trying to keep his distance without allowing any suspicion to arise. Shiro was still Shiro, _his_ Shiro, but now Adam couldn’t help but second guess his every move. Shiro had been lying to him for months about his disease – or rather his lack thereof. Wouldn’t he have been excited to tell Adam that somehow, he’d been miraculously cured? It would have been strange, yes, but still, it could have been a happy occasion, something to celebrate after all he’s been through. But instead, he’d lied about it, not only to Adam but to Coran as well. Shiro doesn’t lie.

_So why start now? Why about this?_

Adam shook his head, rolling back his shoulders with a sigh. He needed to stay focused. He couldn’t broach the subject, not until he’d done some digging. There had to be a reason. For now, though, he had to bide his time and also find Coran.

It wasn’t too hard; he was busy chatting to one of the patients in the auditorium. He was a rather shifty looking unilu in a hoverchair, a mean glint in his eye that Adam didn’t like or trust for a second.

“Coran, you coming?” Adam called.

“Be right there!” Coran said. He exchanged a few quiet words with the unilu before skipping happily over to Adam, the biggest grin Adam had ever seen on his face.

“What’s got you so excited?” Adam asked as they started down the hallway together.

“Oh, just thought of a few ideas on how to improve the show,” Coran said. “I have a feeling you lot will be quite surprised!”

Anything could be better than the train wreck Adam had just witnessed so he simply replied with a half-hearted “Uh huh,” and left it at that.

*

Turns out there was, in fact, something worse that could happen than the hospital show. After everyone’s vehement requests, Coran had agreed to revert back to the air show for their next gig. However, when they arrived on the planet they’d had correspondence with it was to find nothing but dust storms and typhoons raging for all the eye could see.

“This does not look like good conditions for an air show,” Pidge said.

“Or any show, for that matter,” Adam added.

As soon as the Castle landed, a video call came in. Adam accepted it and the big screen opened to reveal a very unhappy looking mix between an anteater and a sloth. His ears were long and floppy, his eyes large and bulbous on two stick-thin rods.

“Well, well, look who decided to show up!” the alien cried. “A day late and a vetronium short.”

“What’s a vetronium?” Lance whispered.

“I have no clue,” Hunk answered.

“I’m sorry,” Coran said, “is there a problem?”

“Is there a problem, he says! Yes! Yes, there is! Yous were supposed to be here yesterday!” the alien yelled. “It was the one day out of the year we have clear skies. The other seven hundred and twenty-five are like this!” He gestured wildly behind him to where they could still see the sandstorm raging.

“Aaaah,” Coran said, wilting slightly, “I see my mistake. I forgot to calculate for time delation.”

The alien was not having it. If anything, Coran’s answer only made him angrier. “Oh, you mades a mistake? I had the entire planet out of them’s burrows for Clear Day just sittin’ and waitin’. ‘Where’s Voltron?’ theys kept askin’.”

Coran raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, well –”

The alien interrupted him, talking as if Coran wasn’t even there anymore, “I said, I said’s to ‘em, ‘Don’t worry, they’ll be here,’ but were you? No! No, you’s weren’t! Then everyone starts turnin’ on me. YOU SAIDS THEY’D BE HERE!”

Before Coran could come up with a reply, there was a loud _BANG!_. The Castle shook, rocking and causing everyone to stumble, Hunk tripping and falling against Adam. Adam planted his feet firmly to the floor, stopping Hunk from falling completely.

“Sorry,” Hunk said, righting himself.

“It’s okay,” Adam said, “Coran, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, let me check.” Coran minimized the alien’s video screen, bringing up the security cameras that showed the exterior of the ship. At first there was nothing then a huge beast, nearly the length of the Castle itself, entered the frame. It had hard, plated armor on its back with a soft underbelly, much like an armadillo. Its face, however, was more like a moth’s, with feathered antennae atop its head and two large, unblinking compound eyes. Its huge clawed hands reached out and shoved the Castle like it weighed nothing.

The Castle tipped again at a dangerous angle, everyone sent sprawling on their backs, before rocking back into place again.

Adam rubbed his shoulder where it had knocked into the floor.

“Coran! What is that thing?” Lance yelled.

“It’s a swarthian marakeet,” the alien explained, still glaring at them from his video screen. “They show up every day of the year except oh, guess! Guess when?”

“Clear day?” Adam asked tiredly.

“That’s right! CLEAR DAY!”

Adam groaned.

“Don’t worry, they chase any beam of light!” Coran said. He’d managed to get back up on his feet, clinging to his station to stay upright. “I’ll distract it while we get out of here. Allura!”

“On it!”

Allura raced to her platform, preparing them for takeoff. The rest of the Paladins stumbled shakily towards their seats. Shiro grabbed Adam’s hand, helping him up.

“Thanks,” Adam said.

“Of course,” Shiro replied with a smile.

“Hold on!” Allura cried just as the Castle’s boosters started up.

“Hey, I’m not done with you’s!” the alien cried.

“Sorry,” Adam said, smiling genially at the alien. “If you’d like to file a complaint please mail us at voltronsucks@gmail.com. Thanks, and have a good day!”

Before the alien could start his rant up again Adam smashed his finger down on the end-call button, waving goodbye with a smug smile.

“Voltronsucks@gmail.com” Lance asked with a grin.

“Not my best quip but I think it still packed a punch,” Adam replied with a shrug.

Once they’d put some good distance between themselves and the sandstorm planet, Allura stopped the engines, stepping down from her platform and joining the rest of them in the center where’d they’d all gathered around Coran.

He looked rather down, his ears flicked back, moustache drooping.

“I’m really sorry about that, everyone,” Coran said.

“Everybody makes mistakes,” Adam said.

“Everybody has those days! Everybody knows what, what I’m talkin’ about, everybody has those days!” Lance sang.

At everyone’s incredulous looks he pouted. “What, it’s a catchy song!”

“Coran,” Shiro said, putting on his disappointed leader voice, “if we’re going to expand the Coalition in the small amount of time we have, we can’t afford to make any more mistakes like this.”

“Yeah, that last show wasn’t too great either,” Hunk spoke up. “It was kinda lame. No offense…”

“Are you sure you should be managing all this on your own?” Pidge asked.

“Just give me one more chance,” Coran said. “I promise, you won’t regret it!”

Everyone shared a look, conferring their decision before nodding.

“Okay, one last chance!” said Lance.

“We’re counting on you, Coran,” Allura said.

Coran smiled, twisting his moustache around his finger jauntily. “Don’t worry, I know exactly what to do!”

*

“It’s official, we’ve reached rock bottom.”

Adam couldn’t help but internally agree with Pidge. Coran had promised that their next stop would ensure a great audience so you couldn't imagine the looks he got when everyone discovered that this ‘great audience’ was situated at none other than the Space Mall.

They were getting a few odd looks from some of the mall patrons. Adam wasn’t surprised, the Paladins were dressed up in their armour looking like a bunch of Power Ranger cosplayers that got lost on the way to a convention.

Shiro cleared his throat, eyeing the patrons nervously, “Yeah, I don’t know if this is the right place to get our message out to the widest audience.”

“Shiro, baby, you’re right,” Coran said, voice smooth as silk. “I want what you want, my man.”

Adam frowned, sharing a confused look with Pidge.

“But I’ve had an epiphany!” Coran continued, popping up behind Allura and Hunk to squeeze their shoulders, “Some ideas,” he shuffled over past Adam to Lance and Pidge, waving his arms about with jazz hands, “Some revelations!” He zipped around to Shiro’s free side, slinging a casual arm around his shoulders. “What we have to do is broadcast a show to an entire galaxy! We could reach the largest viewership in the history of intergalactic showbiz!”

“Oh yeah! Now that sounds like a plan!” Lance cheered.

“But first!” Coran said, “We need to workshop some things before we can take it to the next level.” He zipped back around to Pidge, leaning down so they were eye level. He gave her an exaggerated wink. “You with me kid?”

Pidge only frowned deeper, her eyes narrowing as she studied Coran. “You seem… different.”

Coran barked a laugh, startling Pidge. “Ha! You mean better!”

“Sure, let’s go with that,” Adam said, not sounding half as convincing as he’d like.

Coran popped up, around Pidge to address Adam. “Look, it’s my mission to make sure our message really sings!”

Before Adam could drop another comment Coran was off again, cupping Lance’s face so that he was squishing his cheeks and looking somewhere far into the distance. “Beautiful aliens from here to Vexla will know your name!” He released Lance coming face to face with Shiro once more, “And your Coalition will put the Galra army to shame!”

“Well,” Hunk said, “At least it rhymes.”

Adam held back a snort.

Shiro sighed, sharing a look with the rest of the team before addressing Coran. “Okay, we’ll give it a shot. What’s the plan?”

Coran grinned, rubbing his hands together like a cartoon villain about to reveal his evil plot. “You’re gonna love it!”

*

“Am I the only one who’s slightly concerned?” Adam whispered as Coran started to corral them towards the backstage entrance.

“Yeah, no, I’m with you on that one,” Hunk said.

Once everyone was settled backstage, a thick blue curtain separating them from the small crowd that had begun to gather at the foot of the stage, Coran called for their attention. His smile was large, eyes sparkling with excitement. Coran was known for being enthusiastic, sure, but this was like someone had decided to crank up the levels into the red zone.

“Right!” Coran said, “So we’ve got the air show down, which is great! But we need to add a theatrical element to expand! The hospital performance was a disaster, I’ll admit, but I think it can still work if you follow my guidelines. RULE NUMBER 1! Never walk onto the stage. Alright? You’ve got to leap onto stage, rooooollll onto the stage!” With this Coran acted out his words, giving a balletic jump before rolling his hands like a disco diva. “I’m talkin’ EXPLODE onto stage!”

“Yes!” Lance cried excitedly. “Now that, I like!”

Adam didn’t bother holding back his eye roll. He knew Lance was a bit of a drama queen (yes, he knows, rich coming from him) but it was a little disappointing that he’d bought into Coran’s gimmick so quickly.

_If only Keith were here to keep him in line._

“NUMBER TWO!” Coran continued, “Don’t say your lines. You gotta shout that line! Remember, louder is better!”

Pidge raised a skeptical brow, sharing her look with Adam.

“And finally, RULE NUMBER THREE! Strike a pose after every action! Everyone loooooves a pose! Now, be ready to enter after my introduction! Places, everyone!”

Coran dragged Adam away from the group to stage left where he was given a microphone by a stagehand.

“Here, hold this,” Coran said, placing a remote in Adam’s hands. There were three buttons on it, the colours green, yellow and red like a traffic light.

“Uh… what does this do?” Adam asked, holding the remote at a distance.

“That you’ll have to wait and see,” Coran chuckled. “On my mark, go ahead and press the green button.”

Adam sighed but relented, finger hovering over the button, awaiting Coran’s cue.

Coran cleared his throat, holding the mic up. “OH NO! WHAT’S THAT?!” He waved his hand frantically at Adam.

Adam pressed the button and out from stage right, a robot slowly wheeled itself onto the stage. It was lacking in finesse, however, Adam could (if he squinted) see the resemblance to the strange tentacle creature Voltron had fought on the Balmera.

“A LASER-EYED MONSTER!” Coran cried. “WE NEED VOLTRON!” He waved his hand again and Adam took that as the cue to press the yellow button.

An electric guitar riff blasted out the speakers, nearly causing Adam’s eardrum to burst. Out from behind the curtain leapt Shiro and Allura. They did a few cartwheels and flips before striking a pose; a deep lunge with their arms out in a T-shape. Pidge came flying down using her jetpack, landing between them and striking her own pose.

Hunk rolled onto stage, mirroring Pidge’s pose and Lance leapt down and landed in the center, crying, “Your time’s up, monster!”

The crowd gave a cheer, clapping and whooping as team Voltron broke away from their poses, summoning their bayards as they surrounded the monster

“KEITH I NEED YOUR HELP!” Lance yelled.

“I’M ON IT!” Allura yelled in reply.

“HERE COMES MY LASER FIRE!” Hunk cried.

“Adam!”

Adam tore his gaze away from the stage to look to Coran who was waving frantically at him. “The button! The red button!”

Adam pressed the button, watching as the robot started to emit a loud alarm.

The paladins attacked, Pidge’s grappling hook holding the robot in place as Lance and Hunk opened fire. Allura used her whip to slice the robot cleanly through its waist, its torso flying through the air just in time for Shiro to chop it in half using his Galra arm.

The monster defeated, the Paladins came together again in the center, striking their final pose.

“Spread the word, the Voltron Coalition needs you!” Coran said in a near-perfect salesman’s voice. The guitar riff and drums built up to a crescendo before fading out.

There was a moment of silence and then a round of cheers and clapping erupted from the crowd.

“I’d like to join the Voltron Coalition!” someone said.

“Me as well!”

“Me too!”

“Woah,” Adam said in awe, watching as the crowd went wild, the Paladins waving to their newfound fans as they filed off stage.

“Come along!” Coran said, grabbing Adam’s wrist and whisking him backstage where the Paladins were waiting for them.

“So?” Coran asked.

“Well, at least the crowd stayed until the end,” Pidge said.

“That wasn’t so bad, actually,” Shiro admitted, a surprised smile tugging at his lips.

Coran slung his arm around Shiro’s shoulders, grinning, “Not bad? You guys were great! You’ll be trending galaxy-wide in no time! You’re a four-quadrant hit! But this is just the beginning!” Coran turned his grin the rest of the group, his excitement infectious as everyone started chatting about how well the show went. They were so all distracted, that they didn’t notice the slight eye-twitch causing Coran’s face to spasm.

*

Adam hated to admit it, but Coran’s crazy ideas worked. When they returned to the Castle ship they were flooded with messages and video chat requests with civilians and planet reps alike. Adam had his hands full organizing and getting back to them all while Coran chatted to the team about their next stop. Apparently, he’d already booked them a stadium gig on a planet called Bii-Boh-Bi.

“How did you know it was going to be a hit?” Adam asked when he’d finally finished the last of the calls.

“I just did,” Coran said, sending Adam a sly wink and a manic grin. He turned back to the team, clapping his hands to grab their attention. “You lot best rest up because tomorrow’s the real deal! I don’t want to see a single eyebag, you get me?”

“No problem there, Coran,” Lance said, cupping his chin with a dazzling smile.

“Good, that’s exactly what I want to hear! Now, off you pop!”

“You okay?”

“Hm?”

Adam blinked up from where he was leaned against his station to see Hunk giving him a concerned look.

“Uh, it’s just, you look a little worn out?” Hunk said.

Adam scrubbed a hand through his hair with a sigh. “You guys got popular quick. I feel like the manager of some world-famous band or something.”

“I think you’re more like the rookie intern who has to manage their social media platforms,” Pidge snickered.

Adam made a grab for her, catching her in an arm lock and giving her a noogie. “What’s that, Pidgeon?”

Pidge squirmed in his grip, laughing despite her protests. “You’re lucky Matt’s on a mission!” she said, Adam finally letting her loose.

“I think he would have joined in on the noogies,” Adam retorted.

“Eh, probably.”

Hunk and Pidge gave him a wave, before heading off the bridge.

Adam sighed, straightening up and giving his station one final clean-up.

“Hey, Adam?”

“Yes, Lance?” Adam asked, peaking at Lance over his shoulder.

“Did you record the Space Mall show?” Lance asked.

Adam chuckled, spinning round to face Lance. He tilted his glasses down his nose, eyeing Lance over the frames. “Well, Coran did it have broadcast, but if you mean do I have a copy of the tape for you to send to Keith then the answer is yes, obviously.”

“Awesome!” Lance said. “Can you –”

“Already sent it to your phone,” Adam said, pushing his glasses back into place.

“You’re the best!”

“You know it.”

*

The planet of Bii-Boh-Bi looked like someone had taken a jellybean, left it out in the sun a little too long and then stretched it, its gooey center twisting into a corkscrew configuration.

The Bii-Boh-Bis seemed friendly enough, the stagehands guiding them backstage to an enormous greenroom with comfy couches and enough refreshments to feed a small army. As it so happened, their assistant for the evening was confusingly also named Bii-Boh-Bi. The alien was long and tubular in shape with thin arms and legs and a friendly, cartoonish face. To Adam, he looked like a walking, talking hotdog who only spoke using the two words bii and boh. Coran acted as their translator when needed, talking conversationally with Bii-Boh-Bi while the Paladins made themselves comfortable.

“This is some next-level kinda fancy,” Lance said, laying back on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table.

“Yeah, is this what famous people get to experience, like, all the time?” Hunk pondered. He was snacking on a packet of chips, red dust lining his mouth and covering his gloves. Adam passed him a paper serviette before Coran could berate him for not being ‘stage-presentable’.

“Probably,” Pidge said with a shrug. She was busy on her phone texting Matt. Before he’d left on his mission, she’d built him a phone similar to Adam’s, all their numbers in his contacts, including Keith’s. Adam had been sending him updates on the team’s new rise to fame, getting far too many excited-face text emoticons in reply. At least it was good to know that Matt was still the same old Matt, anime-loving weeb and all.

“This is rather nice,” Allura said. She was sat perched on the edge of the couch, back ramrod straight like the princess she was.

Adam fished out his phone and snapped a few candids of the group before turning on selfie mode. He entered the frame, calling for everyone’s attention.

“Say cheese!”

He snapped a couple pictures, Pidge, Hunk and Lance adding some funny faces near the end. They were busy scrolling through the pictures when Coran came back in, Bii-Boh-Bi hot on his heels.

“Right everyone, five doboshes until curtain call! This is our first stadium with the new routine, so get out there and really wow the crowd!”

“Bii boh boh bii boh!” Bii-Boh-Bi said.

“You heard the man, places!”

*

Adam didn’t really have an official title with this new arrangement, so he internally referred to himself as Coran’s not-really personal assistant. He’d been given a quick rundown of the show, Coran shoving a cue sheet in his hands for which button to press when, and before he knew it, they were out on a platform stationed at one end of the stadium. Bright lights flashed in deep purples and blues, the crowd’s high-pitched cheers echoing in Adam’s ears. Coran placed a headset on, Bii-Boh-Bi doing the same. Adam walked up to the podium where the controls were, double-checking his cue sheet to make sure he actually knew what he was doing. He had the fear that if he got something wrong Coran might strangle him.

“Bii-Bohs and Boh-Biis!” Coran cried, addressing the stadium, “Tonight the Paladins of Voltron take on Zarkon oooon ICE!”

“What, what?!” Adam cried.

Either Coran couldn’t hear him over Bii-Boh-Bi’s translation, or he was choosing to ignore him. Adam had a sneaky suspicion it was the second.

He grabbed Coran’s shoulder, dragging him closer to the podium. “Do the Paladins know about this?” he yelled into Coran’s ear.

“Of course! Don’t stress so much Adam, or you’ll start growing grey hairs,” Coran teased.

“I resent that,” Adam huffed.

Coran only offered a wink before addressing the crowd once again. “OH NO! It’s Zarkon and the evil witch, Haggar!”

A spotlight turned on, following two figures as they skated down from the opposite end of the stadium to the center. They were two Bii-Boh-Biis dressed in costume, resembling Zarkon and Haggar perfectly (if Zarkon and Haggar had suddenly devolved into bipedal sticks).

“Adam! Your cue!”

“Ah…” Adam pressed the first button, a menacing soundtrack playing as Zarkon and Haggar approached. The crowd booed and hissed at them.

“It is I!” Bii-Boh Zarkon cried in surprisingly perfect English. “The greatest force of evil this universe has ever seen!”

“Sire, soon you will defeat the Paladins and Voltron will be yours!” Bii-Boh Haggar said in a raspy voice.

“Not if I have something to say about it!”

The spotlights flew away from Zarkon and Haggar, focusing on Hunk as he made his first appearance. He came out from the tunnel below the platform Adam and Coran were currently standing on, skating across the ice while brandishing his bayard. The crowd went wild.

“Take that Zarkon!” Hunk cried, about to shoot his shoulder canon when his feet slipped out from under him. He tripped and fell, Zarkon and Haggar stepping easily to the side to allow him to skid, face first, all the way to the other end of the rink.

Adam winced in sympathy. The crowd, however, found this hilarious, clutching their stomachs and laughing so loud that en-masse it became a dull roar.

Adam spared a glance to Coran to find the Altean grinning, twirling the end of his moustache around his finger.

Hunk thankfully came to a gentle stop, his helmet bonking against the icerink’s barrier.

“Don’t worry, Hunk, I’ve got your back!” Pidge said. She stepped onto the ice, skating steadily towards Zarkon and Haggar.

“Can Pidge use her math and calculations to defeat Voltron!?” Coran narrated.

Adam watched as Bii-Boh Haggar leapt forward, chucking something at Pidge. A smoke bomb went off, Adam pressing a button to give a sound effect of a spell being cast. When the smoke cleared, Pidge was revealed tangled up in pink ribbons, causing her to lose her balance and fall just a few meters short of Zarkon and Haggar.

Adam frowned, comparing his cue sheet to the script he’d read earlier.

“Coran, that wasn’t in the script, she could have seriously gotten hurt –”

“OH NO! THE WITCH’S MAGIC HAS COUNTER-ACTED PIDGE’S MATH!” Coran yelled.

The crowd gasped, a few more boos shot at Haggar.

“WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO?!” Coran turned to Adam, giving him an exaggerated wink, his next cue.

Adam frowned, crossing his arms and refusing to so much as look the control panel. Coran’s eye twitched in irritation. Adam added a shrug, his glare reading “What you gonna do about it?”

Before their stand-off could escalate, however, Bii-Boh-Bi slid over to the control panel, pressing the correct button. The lights dimmed, guitar riff and drums beating through the surround-sound speakers. Three spotlights came to life, illuminating Lance, Allura and Shiro who had appeared seemingly from nowhere.

“We need teamwork!” Shiro exclaimed. “The only way to defeat Zarkon is with Voltron!” He posed, creating a V-shape with his arms. Lance and Allura flanked him on either side, Pidge and Hunk joining them so they were all together.

The crowd went wild. Lasers were flashing in all different colours, a guitar solo rocking through the speakers while the Paladins ‘formed Voltron’. This consisted of putting on large cardboard headpieces and accessories that matched their Lions, Hunk and Allura crouching down so Pidge, Lance and Shiro could stand on their backs in formation.

Adam couldn’t watch anymore of this. He turned his back on Coran and the show and walked down the stairs from the platform back towards the greenroom. The guitar riffs and the cheers of the crowd dimmed the further he walked, and he thanked the Stars that the greenroom was soundproof. He slammed the door behind him, huffing and puffing as he grabbed what looked close enough to a chocolate bar and tore away the wrapper, munching loudly as he flopped onto the couch.

He was busy typing out a vent text to Matt when the Paladins finally returned, their cardboard Lion pieces tucked under their arms. They were chatting and laughing, all sweat-soaked from exerting themselves.

Adam leapt to his feet, approaching Pidge and immediately giving her a pat down. “You’re okay, nothing broken?”

“Adam, I’m fine,” Pidge huffed, ducking out from under his arms. “Hunk on the other hand…”

“Yeah man, that was a pretty bad wipe-out, you alright?” Lance asked, dumping his cardboard Red Lion in the corner.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Hunk muttered. “Just wish Coran had told us we were gonna have to use freaking iceskates! The closest thing to snow I’ve seen is from a snow globe.”

Adam inspected him, poking and prodding to make sure no bones were out of place. “Well besides a few bruises, I think you’ll be okay. Thank the Stars for your helmet.”

Hunk offered him a wobbly smile. “Thanks for worrying. It’s nice of you.”

Adam clapped him on the shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Of course.”

“THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!”

Everyone turned to see Coran practically kick the door down in his excitement, his arms waving about, eyes wide with a giddy smile plastered on his face.

“You guys went above and beyond! You really wowed the crowd! All except _you_.” Coran turned an ice-cold glare to Adam.

Adam cocked his hip, arms crossed tightly across his chest as he matched Coran’s glare tenfold.

“What about me?” Adam asked, venom in his voice.

“You nearly ruined the show with your little stunt!” Coran cried, poking a finger in Adam’s face. “If it wasn’t for Bii-Boh-Bi, we would have completely bombed out!”

“Bii-boh,” Bii-Boh-Bi said, blushing as if he’d just gotten the biggest compliment from his crush.

“I stand by my decision,” Adam said. “Pidge and Hunk could have been seriously injured. You’re lucky nothing worse happened than a few bruises.”

“You gotta go through a little pain before you can gain, my friend!” Coran said.

Adam snorted, flicking his fringe out his eyes. “Whatever. I’ll let you off this time. But pull a stunt like that again and we’ll have more than just words,” Adam warned.

Coran retracted his finger, sticking his nose haughtily up in the air. “Fine. But you’re off the special effects team!”

“ _Excuse me?!_ ”

“That’s right! I’m not letting you near so much as a light switch!”

Adam snorted in disbelief. “If I’m fired then who’s going to be your lackey, huh?”

“Why, Bii-Boh-Bi of course!” Coran replied with a grin.

Bii-Boh-Bi waved.

“Then what the quiznak am I supposed to do while this shitshow is still running?” Adam asked.

“Hmmm I think Pidge put it rather well, yesterday,” Coran said, stroking his moustache in thought. “What was it again? Ah, yes! _Rookie intern_ stuck managing the social what-have-you’s!”

Adam was stunned to silence. He stood, rooted to the spot, jaw dropped as Coran clapped his hands and went about giving everyone notes on their performances like their exchange hadn’t even happened.

“Adam, estás bien?” Lance asked.

“No sé,” Adam muttered.

Lance looked worriedly between the group, who were busy chatting about ratings, and Adam.

Adam sighed, putting on what he hoped was a convincing smile. “Ratón, estaré bien.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Adam said, ruffling Lance’s curls. “Just watch, I’ll be the best rookie intern they’ve ever seen.”

Lance chuckled, elbowing Adam playfully. “Kay. Let me know if you need help with anything.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Adam said, waving him off. “Go tend to your fans or whatever. I can hear them getting ready to bust down the door.”

As if on cue, the side door to the greenroom slid open, revealing a gaggle of Bii-Boh-Bi’s scrabbling for autographs.

“Right, that’s enough of that!” Coran said, closing the door again before Lance could even say hello and ushering him towards the couch where the rest of the Paladins had settled down.

“So! Tonight was a big success, no thanks to a certain someone, ahem _Adam_ ,” Coran said, sending a piercing glare to Adam.

Adam ignored him, pretending to be buffing up his nails.

“There’s no doubt about it, you’re stars!” Coran continued, “But to go supernova, you gotta push it even further!”

“A supernova is an _exploding_ star,” Pidge corrected. Adam offered up a hand, Pidge high fiving him without even having to look.

“WELL WHAT’S BRIGHTER THAN THAT?” yelled Coran, popping up barely an inch away from Pidge’s face. Pidge flinched back, nearly falling off the back of the couch.

“Now, here’s the deal!” Coran said. He turned his attention to the rest of the group. “I’m assigning each of you a persona. This is gonna help the audience connect with you at a much deeper level! There’s Loverboy Lance,” Coran shot finger guns at Lance.

Lance hummed, a small smile tugging at his lips. “It does have a nice ring to it.”

“You’re Science-Whiz Pidge,” Coran said, pointing back to Pidge. He leapt across the floor to the opposite end of the couch, coming up behind Allura. “Then we’ve got Lone-Wolf Keith. I’m thinkin’ your catchphrase could be, like, a howl?”

Coran looked at Allura expectantly. She pouted, growling something very unprincess-like under her breath.

Coran wilted. “We’ll work on it. Hunk! From now on you’ll be Humorous Hunk!”

Hunk frowned, looking like he was about to object, but Coran had already moved on, sweeping his arms in a dramatic gesture towards Shiro.

“And last but not least we have Shiro the Hero!”

Adam snorted, garnering an unamused look from both Coran and Shiro.

Coran quickly chose to ignore him, however, turning back to the Paladins to start rambling about the next script.

Adam sighed, looking to Bii-Boh-Bi who had joined him just off to the side of the pow-wow.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” Adam said.

Bii-Boh-Bi nodded solemnly. “Bii boh.”

“You can say that again.”

*

A new planet, a new stadium filled to the brim with fans of Voltron. Adam wasn’t part of the special effects team anymore, Bii-Boh-Bi quite quickly adapting as Coran’s new assistant, but that didn’t stop him from watching backstage as the Paladins went out one after the other, preparing to fight their newest adversary.

Coran had announced each of them with their new personas, Pidge, Allura and Shiro begrudgingly going along with it while Lance soaked up all the attention. Adam could admit, Lance wasn’t half bad at acting though it probably helped that he was playing an exaggerated version of himself.

“Right, now remember,” Coran said, holding the curtain back for Hunk, “You’re Humorous Hunk, so be funny!”

“Right, yeah,” Hunk said, nodding along before pausing. “Um… how do I do that exactly?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Now, go forth!”

Hunk adjusted his grip on his shoulder cannon, sprinting down the platform that led to the stadium.

“Bii-Boh-Bi, engage Humorous Hunk,” Coran said, speaking through his comms link.

Adam raced to Coran’s side just in time to see Hunk get tripped up by some Bii-Boh-Bi stagehands. He went rolling head over heels all the way down the platform, his gun flying and landing at his side with a _thunk!_

The crowd burst into laughter, Hunk giving himself a small shake as he tried to stand. As soon as he leaned down to pick up his gun, Coran pressed a button and a fart noise echoed through the stadium.

Up on the big screen, Adam could see Hunk flush with embarrassment, looking about in confusion.

“That wasn’t me!” Hunk said insistently, even as Coran pressed the button again, eliciting another fart noise.

Adam swore under his breath. “Okay, that’s enough!” He grabbed the remote, holding it up high over his head. He had at least three inches on Coran and was putting them to good use, grinning as Coran tried to jump for the remote.

“Gimme that!”

“Not until you swear to me, you’ll change Hunk’s persona!” Adam demanded.

Coran stopped his jumping, eyes narrowing as he considered Adam’s request. He looked ready to refuse so Adam took the remote in both hands, making as if he was about to snap it in two.

“No wait, stop! I’ll do as you say, no more Humorous Hunk!”

Adam offered up his pinkie. “Pinkie swear?”

Coran huffed but linked his pinkie with Adam’s. “Yes, pinkie swear.”

Adam handed back the remote, Coran grumbling about “Stupid human death pacts.” (Adam may or may not have fibbed about the severity of breaking a pinkie promise. It certainly came in handy when things weren’t going his way.)

Coran turned back to the stage, remote cradled protectively to his chest when he suddenly lit up. He grinned, arching a brow at Adam.

“On one condition –”

“Hey, we already pinkie swore!”

“You play the damsel in distress in the next show!”

“EXCUSE ME?”

“You’re excused,” Coran quipped.

Adam gasped, clutching his chest dramatically. “How dare you use my own line against me!”

“I’m not hearing a yeeeees,” Coran sing-songed, finger hovering over the fart noise button.

Adam gritted his teeth, spitting out a “Fine! BUT! I get to choose Hunk’s new persona and write and direct a new act for the show!”

Coran eyed him warily, stroking his moustache as he thought on it before breaking into a manic grin and offering Adam his hand. “Deal!”

They shook on it and Adam couldn’t help feeling like he’d just sold his soul to the devil.

*

“Humorous Hunk is dead!” Adam proclaimed that night at dinner. Coran hadn’t joined them, too busy putting the final touches on their next show’s script, leaving the Paladins and Adam alone to gossip and complain about the show to their heart’s content.

“Oh man, thank goodness,” Hunk sighed, “Does that mean I don’t have to do the show anymore?”

Adam patted him consolingly on the head. “’Fraid not. However, I have created a new persona for you.”

Hunk groaned. “I’m so scared to ask, but… what’s my new persona?”

“Huggable Hunk!” Adam said, flashing his fingers as he unveiled the title. “He’s tough as nails but still has a soft and caring side. The enemy fears him, his allies cherish him, the entire galaxy wishes they could hug him! What do you think?”

Hunk scratched his temple, his lips twitching into a small smile. “Yeah… I like it! Feels more… me?”

“Glad to hear it,” Adam said.

“How’d you get Coran to agree to change it though?” Pidge asked, pouting. “He’s so stubborn with everything. He won’t let me switch out his fake sciencey words for real ones.”

Adam coughed, muttering his response.

“Sorry, what, didn’t hear that?” Pidge said, cupping her ear.

“I said… I have to play Allura in the next show.”

There was quiet and then everyone burst out laughing. Hunk was clutching his belly, nearly bent over double with laughter. Lance was wiping away tears from his eyes while Pidge cackled. Even Shiro looked amused at the prospect. Allura on the other hand…

“Why is he getting someone else to play me when I’m right here!” she argued.

“Well I also have to play the damsel in distress,” Adam said. “Which you’re anything but.”

“Aww, Adam,” Allura said, hand to her chest, “You just said something nice about me!”

“Plus, you’re really getting the hang of being Keith’s doppelgänger,” Adam added with a cheeky grin.

“And there it is,” Allura muttered, shovelling a rather large spoonful of food goo into her mouth miserably.

“Wait, does that mean you gotta dress up like her?” Lance asked, finally calmed down.

“Yep,” Adam said, popping the P. “Wouldn’t be my first time doing drag, though. I’m sure I can pull it off.”

“You’ve done drag?” Hunk asked, interest piqued.

“Yeah, they had some amateur nights at this club back in Platt City. Shiro and I went there often to unwind.”

“If by unwind you mean Adam gets flat out drunk while I’m stuck nursing him to sobriety, then yes,” Shiro said.

“You love Drunk Adam,” Adam said.

“I tolerate Drunk Adam,” Shiro replied.

“Well, Drunk Shiro isn’t any better!”

“I can’t picture Shiro drunk,” Lance mused.

Pidge grinned, bringing her phone out from her dungaree pocket. “Oh, it’s quite the sight to behold! Let me see, where is it –”

“Pidge,” Shiro said in a warning tone. “That better not be what I think it is.”

Pidge put on big innocent eyes, batting her eyelashes. “Oh, what? You mean that little ol’ video I took during New Year’s?”

Shiro put down his knife and fork, tone turning pleading, “Please no.”

“Please, yes!” Adam said, rushing to Pidge’s side along with Hunk, Lance and Allura to watch the video on her phone.

Adam could only remember bits and pieces from that fateful New Year’s Eve party at the Holts’ Residence. Matt was eighteen and so could join in on the more mature festivity of getting black-out drunk along with Shiro, Adam and Sam while Keith and Pidge sipped on virgin margaritas. Colleen had remained sober however she made the most killer G&T’s Adam had ever tasted.

The video Pidge was playing must’ve taken place sometime just after midnight. Bop music was blasting through the speakers, Matt singing along horrendously off-key while Keith could be seen sulking in the corner. Adam waited for the big reveal and was not disappointed when the camera swivelled towards the dining room where all the furniture had been pushed back against the walls to provide a dance floor. And there, covered in glitter and silly string was a dancing Shiro, drunk out of his mind and attempting to out-vogue Adam. Even drunk, Adam could still vogue like a queen. Sober Shiro could manage some basic dance steps. Drunk Shiro, though? Drunk Shiro could not dance for shit.

“Oh my gosh!” Hunk cried, bursting out laughing as Shiro tried to copy a rather difficult move that Adam made look easy. His fan kick ended up causing him to lose a shoe, his sneaker flying through the air and landing in the punch bowl. Video-Shiro threw his hands up in the air, yelling “TEN POINTS!”

Adam took a quick peek at Shiro who was currently hiding his blushing face in his hands, wishing to the stars to be anywhere else but here.

Adam catalogued every detail. Pink-tipped ears, the way his eyes were crinkling as he tried not to smile at his own embarrassment, the glint in his eye when he shared a look with Adam. It was all Shiro to a T.

So why did Adam feel like he was looking at a stranger?

*

“Can’t believe I’m doing this,” Adam grumbled. He was currently attempting to stuff his bra so he could fill out the rather busty dress Coran had provided for him. Adam blew a long strand of silver hair out of his eyes in frustration. Coran had procured a much better, high-quality wig for Adam’s performance. It felt like honest to quiznak real hair when Adam touched it. He’d already put on his makeup, pink triangles painted on underneath each eye. Adam couldn’t help thinking they suited him rather well.

Done with his stuffing, Adam turned in the mirror, checking to see that his bust was even.

“Don’t worry,” Lance said. He was sitting sideways in an armchair, no doubt texting Keith every detail of Adam’s ordeal. “At least Shiro’s still checking you out.”

Shiro spluttered, stopping his pacing. He always paced while going over his lines. Every carpet at every performance venue they’d been to no doubt had a short Shiro-made rut left behind, marking it forever.

“I-I am not!” Shiro said.

Adam swept pink lip gloss over his lips, holding Shiro’s gaze through the mirror as he did so. “Oh really, now?”

Shiro pointed an accusing finger in Lance’s direction. “Lance, extra drills when we get back.”

Lance groaned. “But Shirooooooo –”

“Don’t make me double it!”

Adam sauntered over to Shiro, lifting his chin with a finger and giving him a sultry smile. “Come now, babe, don’t be a spoilsport.”

Shiro went from pale as milk to lobster red in 0.2 seconds flat. He stepped out of Adam’s reach, ducking his head and turning quickly on his heel to walk out the door. “That’s cheating!” he cried over his shoulder as he speed-walked away.

“Damn Adam,” Lance said, gaping in awe. “You gotta teach me some of your moves.”

Adam flicked his wig over his shoulder. “It’s all in the hips.”

*

Suffice to say, playing the damsel in distress wasn’t as mortifying as Adam had feared. The crowd seemed to enjoy his wailing for Team Voltron and were especially happy when Shiro came to his rescue, catching him from a rather high fall and holding him bridal style.

“My hero!” Adam cried, fluttering his eyelashes before pretend-fainting in Shiro’s arms.

(Coran had wanted a stage kiss to which Adam sternly refused. “You’re not Straight-washing Shiro,” he’d said and when Coran looked like he was about to argue Adam brought up the pinkie promise pact and that shut him right up.)

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Shiro whispered.

Adam peeped one eye open to catch Shiro gazing at him with a soft expression.

“Not as much as you seem to be,” Adam quipped.

Shiro’s ears were pink for the rest of the performance.

*

“Since when could you do silks?!”

The Paladins were fresh off the stage, panting and grinning as they popped off their helmets and began collapsing onto any and all comfortable-looking surfaces.

Adam had stopped Lance before he could join the cuddle pile with Hunk and Pidge, desperate for answers.

For Lance’s entrance this time round, a rope had been strung from Red’s jaw down to the stage. Rather than rappelling like Adam had expected him to, Lance had put on a skillful display of aerial dancing tricks, including a perfect split.

“Oh, uh, I took a course one summer with Rachel,” Lance said, chuckling nervously. “It was fun, so I sort of, well, kept it up a little after the course was complete.”

Adam scrubbed his hand through Lance’s curls. “You’re full of surprises, hey Mouse?”

“Stop, stop, you’re gonna mess up my hairdo!” Lance whined.

“Adam!”

Adam halted, Lance freezing as well at Coran’s tone. He approached them, looking like an army general with his hands clasped firmly behind his back and his chest puffed out.

“Coran,” Adam said in a tone that could still be considered polite but also gave off the impression of ‘I don't actually care for what you have to say.’

“Have you decided what your segment is going to be?” Coran asked.

Adam let go of Lance, straightening to his full height to look down on Coran. “Actually, yes, I was just about to propose it to the talent.”

“Well, by all means,” Coran said sarcastically with a bow.

“Right,” Adam said, addressing the Paladins. Lance had joined Hunk and Pidge’s cuddle pile. Allura was letting her hair loose, the mice playing with some the more unruly curls. Shiro was sipping on a juice pouch. “Who of you can carry a tune?”

Lance immediately raised his hand. Hunk hesitated a moment before doing so as well, followed by a grumbling Pidge and a slightly confused-looking Allura.

Adam’s eyes darted to Shiro, eyebrow arching. “Babe?”

Shiro sighed, raising his hand as well.

Adam grinned. “Perfect. Lance!”

“Yes, sir,” Lance said, giving a mock salute.

“Are you a Disney fan?”

“Do you mean classical Disney or the decade-we-do-not-name of live-action remakes?”

“Of course I mean classic Disney. Who do you take me for?”

“Right, right, just checking,” Lance said, slumping back against Hunk’s chest. “You were saying?”

“You know Moana?” Adam asked.

Lance’s eyes lit up with understanding, a grin spreading from ear to ear. “Oh, I see where you’re going with this.”

“Uh, I don’t,” Hunk said, brows furrowed in confusion.

Shiro dropped his juice pouch, straw falling from his lips as he groaned a low, “Oh no.”

“How are you with writing lyrics?” Adam asked Lance.

Lance brushed off his shoulder pads, “Oh, you know, I dabble.”

“Guys, what are you planning?!” Hunk asked, eyes wide with panic.

“Only the ultimate weapon in any entertainment industry ever,” Adam said. “A musical number.”

*

“Glad you could make it.”

Matt gave Adam a megawatt smile. He was bouncing on the spot where they were tucked away backstage, getting ready to watch the Paladin’s performance.

“Are you kidding?” Matt scoffed, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world!”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Adam said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“I’m just surprised you guys managed to pull this together in such a short amount of time.”

“You’d be surprised what a whip can do in the right hands.”

Matt stilled, looking up at Adam with apprehension. “Y-you’re joking right?”

“Of course!” Adam said though Matt didn’t look convinced.

“Right, places everybody, places!” Coran said. “Adam –”

“Yes, Coran?” Adam said, professional as can be.

Coran narrowed his eyes, eyebrow twitching slightly. “If this doesn’t work, you’ll be held responsible.”

“Of course,” Adam said jovially, “But it will work.”

“How are you so sure?”

Adam gave a light chuckle before looking Coran dead in the eye. “Because I just do.”

Coran’s mouth opened and closed, the only sound coming out being a high-pitched squeak of frustration.

Adam grinned, turning his attention back to the stage. The lights had dimmed, a murmur settling over the crowd.

Adam cleared his throat before reaching for his headset. He slipped it on, checking that the mic was working before stepping onto the stage. Instantly, the crowd erupted into cheers, Adam smiling and waving. He winked at a pretty blue alien near the front and they fainted into their friend’s arms with a startled cry.

“Hello, everybody!”

Another uproarious cheer.

“Yes, yes, I know, I have that effect on people,” Adam joked.

The crowd laughed, a few cries of “We love you, Adam!” reaching his ears.

“How is Adam so popular with the crowd? He doesn’t even perform?” Matt asked in awe.

“I have no idea,” Coran replied, looking utterly shocked.

“Bii boh!”

They both startled. Bii-Boh-Bi had popped up from out of nowhere. He was holding a datapad in his hand, offering it up to Matt. Matt took it from him scrolling through the page it had been open on and barked a laugh.

“Oh my Stars!”

“What, what as it?” Coran cried, grabbing the datapad from Matt and having a look for himself.

The screen presented an intergalactic social media site with Team Voltron’s logo at the top. The profile picture was a photo taken from above, the Paladin’s holding their bayards together in a V-formation. Coran scrolled down their feed, eyes bulging as he saw one behind the scenes photo after another. They were very good quality photos; Pidge and Hunk pulling funny faces, Allura having her hair done by the mice, Lance doing his makeup before the show and giving the camera a kiss through the mirror, Shiro passed out on the couch, Adam giving a surprised-looking Shiro a sloppy kiss on the cheek. There was even a selfie of Adam and Bii-Boh-Bi holding up peace signs while a red-faced Coran shouted at some poor stagehand in the background.

Coran turned a menacing glare to Bii-Boh-Bi. “You traitor.”

There were hundreds, no, _thousands_ of likes, comments and subscribers. Coran swept his finger up, coming back to the top of the page where the user’s information was displayed.

_@rookieintern_  
 **Adam Wadekar**  
Yes, I am dating the Black Paladin. No, I don’t share.

Posts: 284  
Followers: 1029908  
Following: 120

“That son of a helfblinkle!”

In one swift motion, the datapad was snapped cleanly in two, broken wires fizzing as Coran glared daggers at Adam who was still busy milking the crowd on stage.

“How dare he! He – he –!”

“Make Voltron even more popular and hence gather more members for the Coalition?” Matt asked, brow arched in question.

Coran snapped a finger gun at Matt. “Yes, that!”

“Alright, but that’s enough about me,” Adam said, absolutely keeping tabs on Coran’s meltdown backstage from the corner of his eye. “I think it’s about time we see the main attraction, don’t you?”

The crowd roared in agreement.

“Well then, without further ado I give you the one, the only, Teeeeeaaaam Voltron!”

An upbeat drum intro started playing as Adam jogged off the stage, the roar of the crowd so loud that you could barely hear the music.

The curtains parted, revealing Shiro with his back to the audience, hip popping to the beat of the drums. The other Paladins flanked him on either side, a large screen behind them lit up with the Voltron V.

Shiro crossed one foot over the other, doing a smooth turn to face the audience. The crowd went nuts.

_“Okay, okay. I see what’s happening here.  
You’re face-to-face with greatness and it’s strange  
You don’t even know how you feel,  
It’s adorable! Well it’s nice to see  
That Paladins never change.  
Open your eyes, let’s begin!”_

“Woah!” Matt said, watching as the Paladins turned to face the crowd one after the other perfectly to the beat. Shiro interacted with each jokingly, giving Pidge a noogie, hip-bumping with Lance, doing a little underwater wiggle with Allura and fist-bumping Hunk before turning his attention back to the crowd.

_“Yes, it’s really me, it’s Shiro. Breathe it in!  
I know it’s a lot: the hair, the bod  
When you’re staring at a Pala-god!”_

Shiro struck a pose, Adam pressing a button to activate a fan so Shiro’s hair could blow dramatically in the wind.

_“What can I say except, you’re welcome!  
For the Guardian of the Sky!  
Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,  
You’re welcome!  
I’m just an ordinary Pala-guy.”_

The Black Lion appeared on the big screen behind Shiro, soaring with purple beams of light trailing behind her. The Paladins were currently going through poses as if they’re fans of Shiro, Lance fainting into Hunk’s arms, Allura holding up a “I <3 Shiro” banner. Even Pidge was going along with it, fanning herself as if Shiro was just too hot for his own good. On “ordinary Pala-guy” Shiro pretended to trip, Hunk and Lance catching him before propelling him forward towards the front of the stage. That got a few laughs from the crowd.

_“Hey! What has two thumbs and fell from the sky,  
When Pidge was a Garrison spy, this guy!  
When Keith got to bold who saved him from Zarkon’s final blow?  
You’re looking at him, yo!”_

While Shiro listed his achievements, animated pictures lit up on the screen, following along with the story. A ship crash-landing on Earth, Shiro popping out with a thumbs up; the Black Lion bumping Red out of the way while a cartoonish Zarkon cackled evilly, sending death rays out of his eyes. Pidge and Allura stepped forward, Pidge pulling a thankful face with praying hands while Allura pretended to be grumpy at being exposed for Keith’s mistake.

_“Oh! For Pridge’s bro,  
I took the fall. You’re welcome!  
I’m like a latte double tall.”_

A cartoon rendition of Matt appeared on the screen, Shiro pushing him out of the way to take a hit to the stomach by a bullish Galra soldier. Cartoon Shiro punched him back, sending the Galra soldier flying through the air and crashing through a wall. Cartoon Matt’s eyes became large red hearts as he clung to Shiro’s bicep, a speech bubble popping up saying, “My hero!”

Matt snorted. “Nice.”

_“Said ‘Yoo-hoo!’ in some reality,  
You’re welcome!  
You want a pick, the first one’s free!”_

“Is that a Frozen reference?” Matt asked, snorting as a Shiro dressed up in lederhosen did a little jig on the screen.

“Yeah, Sven, Shiro’s alternate reality double, literally could have been Oaken in another life,” Adam said, nodding sagely.

_“So what can I say, except, you’re welcome!  
For the Galra I brought to their knees.  
There’s no need to pray, it’s okay,  
You’re welcome, ha!  
I guess it’s just my way of being me.  
You’re welcome, you’re welcome!”_

“Oh, nearly forgot!” Adam quickly grabbed the pair of sunglasses that had been hooked in his back pocket. Shiro caught Adam’s eye, hand outstretched. Adam tossed the sunglasses, Shiro catching them and flicking them open, cool as can be, before placing them on his nose. The other Paladins had already put on their sunglasses, striking a few poses. Lance blew a kiss to the crowd, the blue alien, who’d only just recovered, fainting once again.

_“Kids, honestly, I can go on, and on,  
List everybody who calls me the champion!_

Shiro pretended to count on his fingers while the Paladins put their hands up one after the other as if to say, “Count me in!”

_"I killed Myzax, because I was tough,  
Got this new hand and now I’m super buff!  
What’s the lesson, what is the take-away?  
Don’t mess with Shiro when he’s on the breakaway!  
And the massive scar here on my skin  
Is a map of the victories I win.  
Look where I’ve been,  
I make everything happen!  
Look at ol’ Slipperies Coran he’s just slippety-tapping, tapping!”_

Shiro and the Paladins all swept their arms back to the big screen where a compilation video of Coran’s time with the Slipperies played. Adam had had to scroll back quite far in the Castle’s surveillance video history, but he’d found more than enough gems to include in the video. The crowd roared with laughter as Coran kept falling and floundering on the big screen. Matt was cackling, clutching his stomach as he wheezed and snorted. Adam snuck a quick glance to find a fuming Coran – he was so red in the face there was practically smoke coming out of his ears.

 _Ah,_ Adam thought, Revenge is always so sweet!

_“Well, anyway, let me say you’re welcome!”_

_“You’re welcome!”_

_“For the wonderful robot you know!  
Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,  
You’re welcome!”_

_“You’re welcome!”_

_“Well come to think of it, I gotta go!”_

The Paladins lined up, Shiro in the center, all doing a stylized walk to the beat of the music. They were in perfect sync, the Paladins singing back-up while Shiro sang the final verse.

_“Hey, it’s your day to say ‘You’re welcome’!”_

_“You’re welcome!”_

_“’Cause I’m gonna need that Lion!  
I’m flying away, away, you’re welcome!”_

_“You’re welcome!”_

_“Cause Shiro’s great at everything but dyin’!”_

Shiro made a cross over his chest, falling back into the arms of the Paladins. All together they lifted him up, slowly turning while Shiro posed on his side, head resting on his hand as he waved at the crowd.

_“You’re welcome!”_

_“You’re welcome!”_

_“You’re welcome!”_

The Paladins lowered Shiro to the ground. He did a few rolls to get closer to the front of the stage before popping up for his final pose, sunglasses tilted down so the audience could see his wink.

_“And thank you!”_

The Paladins struck a pose all together to form a V shape with their arms, confetti cannons going off while the words “JOIN THE COALITION” flashed on the big screen behind them.

The entire crowd was on its feet, people wolf-whistling and cheering their favourite Paladin’s names. It was the biggest reaction they had ever received after a performance, the crowd yelling for an encore as the Paladins took their bows and scampered off stage. Flowers and stuffed animals were thrown onto the stage, Lance catching a Red Lion plushee and sending the crowd one final kiss and a wave before disappearing off the stage with the others.

Adam gave a satisfied flick of his fringe as he turned his attention to Coran. The Altean seemed completely at a loss for words, his mind no doubt warring between wanting to praise Adam for a job well done and kicking him off the team entirely for being more popular than him.

Adam didn’t wait for a response, giving Coran a friendly pat on the back, singing a “You’re welcome!” and sauntering away.

*

**10/04/2058**

**[ADAMN sent 1 video]**

**EmoKnifeBoi:** You guys really outdid yourselves

 **ADAMN:** Of course, I was the one who organized it

 **EmoKnifeBoi:** I’m surprised you made Shiro the lead?

 **ADAMN:** He’s probably the worst dancer out of everyone  
 **ADAMN:** It was just easier if he mostly interacted with the crowd

 **EmoKnifeBoi:** Even worse than Pidge???

 **ADAMN:** She has some surprisingly good breakdancing skills!

 **EmoKnifeBoi:** Well whatever you guys have been doing, it's working  
 **EmoKnifeBoi:** We’ve had a major insurgence of new recruits to the Blades

 **ADAMN:** Wow, that’s great!

 **EmoKnifeBoi:** Yeah, the show’s quite popular here  
 **EmoKnifeBoi:** There may or may not be a Loverboy Lance fanclub at the base…

 **ADAMN:** NO WAY

 **EmoKnifeBoi:** Yeah… don’t tell Lance, though, it’ll just go to his head

 **ADAMN:** And are you part of the fanclub???

 **EmoKnifeBoi:** …  
 **EmoKnifeBoi:** maybe

 **ADAMN:** OH MY STARS

 **EmoKnifeBoi:** I only really come to the meetings to watch the live broadcasts!  
 **EmoKnifeBoi:** The club somehow managed to convince Kolivan to give them an unused meeting room with a big screen for screenings

 **ADAMN:** YOU’RE A FANBOY

 **EmoKnifeBoi:** I AM NOT!

“Right, everyone here?”

Adam looked up from where he’d been typing on his phone. They’d all gathered together in the Castle’s lounge after the Paladin’s most recent performance. Pidge had her head on Hunk’s thigh, Leo and Newt sprawled in her hair and on her chest. Allura was chatting to the mice while Lance and Adam had both been texting Keith simultaneously. Shiro was leaned up against the wall, watching Coran as he brought up the newest intergalactic map with the updated Coalition data. The green areas that showed those freed and sided with Voltron had been growing exponentially over the past three weeks of shows Voltron had been putting on.

“So good news! The recruitment rallies are amazing, look at all the green on this map!” Coran cried, sweeping his arm to gesture at the map. Coran seemed jumpier than usual like someone had decided to pour pure coffee down his gullet and give him a not-so-healthy dose of cocaine. His eyes were red-rimmed, a muscle in his jaw ticking every few seconds. His hands fluttered about at his talk as if he didn’t know where to put them.

“We certainly had our doubts,” Allura said, “but I have to admit, Coran, your plans are actually working! Adam, you also did a lovely job.”

“What’s this? Praise from Princess Peach herself?” Adam said with a dramatic gasp.

Allura kicked his shin. “Be grateful.”

“Why thank you, Keith! Uh, I mean, Allura!” Coran cried. “And it’s only going to get better after a few improvements!”

Pidge frowned, lifting her head to look at Coran and nearly dislodging Leo from his perch in her hair. “More improvements?”

“Hear me out! First, it’s time for Voltron to talk! People wanna hear what the big guy has to say! Next, we’ll introduce new weapons and outfits for each of you! Then –”

“Coran, what are you talking about?” Shiro said. “We only have one performance left. After the big intergalactic broadcast, we’re done.”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! WE’RE ONLY JUST GETTIN’ STARTED, WE CAN’T STOP NOW!” Coran yelled.

Everyone startled at Coran’s outburst. The mice all ducked under Allura’s hair, squeaking in fright. Lance’s grip on his phone slackened, Adam having to snatch it out of the air before it hit the floor. Pidge sat up, clutching Newt to her chest as she gaped at him. Hunk’s eyes darted about nervously. Shiro’s lips were downturned in a deep frown.

“Uh, Coran, are you feeling okay?” Hunk asked.

“Yeah,” Lance said, “you’re a little more jumpy than usual.”

“You must realise that we need to get back to fighting Zarkon?” Allura asked.

“We are fighting Zarkon!” Coran cried, “Six nights a week and twice on the astral conflux!”

In what was probably the worst timing in the world, the door slid open and Bii-Boh-Bi stuck his head into the room.

“Bii boh, bi bi bi boh?”

Coran snarled, yelling at Bii-Boh-Bi, “I DON’T CARE IF THE NEW LASER SHOW IS HERE! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT WALKING IN WHILE I’M TALKING TO THE TALENT?”

Bii-Boh-Bi hung his head, muttering what Adam could now translate as an apology before retracting back into the hallway.

“Coran,” Shiro said, voice edging towards stern, “We have to do the next event but after that, no more shows.”

The muscle in Coran’s jaw twitched and he completely snapped.

“YOU’RE ALL QUITTERS! QUITTERS, I TELL YOU! I’M A VISIONARY, I HAVE IDEAS!” He started backing up to the exit, glaring at every one of them as his arms waved about frantically. “I DON’T NEED ANY OF YOU! I’LL RE-WRITE THE SHOW, GET NEW PALADINS AND THE SHOW WILL BE BETTER THAN EVER!” And with that, Coran stomped out the room, the door sliding shut behind him. Almost immediately, however, it slid open again and Coran spoke to Shiro in a calm, considerate tone, “Except Shiro, you’re our most popular character! But the rest of you… YOU’LL NEVER WORK IN SHOWBIZ AGAIN!”

Coran stormed out for real this time, the door sliding closed behind him with a quiet _hiss_.

“Well…” Adam said. “That was… something.”

“Is Coran okay? Because I think the stress might be getting to him,” said Hunk.

Allura hummed. “He can overwork himself at times, but I’ve never seen him like this.”

“Yeah, that was kind of scary,” Pidge murmured.

“I know things are a little tense right now, but I think we should focus on tomorrow’s performance. Once that’s done and out of the way we can try figure out how to help Coran, sound good?” Shiro asked.

Everyone nodded and voiced their agreement, but Adam couldn’t help but wonder if waiting for tomorrow would be too late.

*

The day of the final performance arrived. Rehearsal went smoothly, the Paladins practising their fight choreography while Bii-Boh-Bi made sure the lights and music were all functioning. He’d apparently put a lot of effort into the special effects Robeast he’d built but it could only be used one time, so Team Voltron rehearsed without it. Coran was suspiciously not there for the entire rehearsal, not that the team minded. They figured the less shouting the better. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the performance and the stadium was filled to the brim with adoring fans.

“Alright team,” Shiro said, turning to the Paladins to give his usual pre-performance pep talk. “This is being broadcast galaxy-wide. It’s the final piece in our plan so let’s make our last appearance our best appearance.”

“I’m still concerned about Coran,” Allura said.

“I think maybe the fame’s just gotten to his head,” Hunk posed.

 _“Bii boh bi,”_ Bii-Boh-Bi said into Adam’s comms link.

“Ten seconds to show time,” Adam translated.

“How did you manage to learn the language so quickly?” Lance asked in surprise.

Adam snorted. “There’s literally only two words. Compared to learning Altean, it was a piece of cake. Now, get out there and have fun!”

Adam watched as the Paladins made their dramatic entrance, guitar riffs and drums blasting through the speakers, lights flashing and the crowd cheering. Once he was sure everything had gone smoothly, Adam headed up to the control tower where Bii-Boh-Bi was operating the special effects panel.

“Bii boh,” Adam said in greeting.

Bii-Boh-Bi gave a distracted wave, his short stick-like arms rushing about to control the Galra droids down below.

Adam still wasn’t allowed to touch anything to do with special effects, so he sat back and watched the show go off without a hitch. Coran was still nowhere to be seen which was worrying. He may have become Bridezilla over the course of all the shows, but he was still Coran, still a part of their team.

“Still no word from Coran?” Adam asked when there was a lull in Bii-Boh-Bi’s operating schedule.

Bii-Boh-Bi shrugged. “Boh bi.”

“Yeah, I was afraid you were going to say that.”

“Did you hear that rumbling?” Shiro asked.

They were at the point in the show where the Robeast would make its appearance. Adam came to stand next to Bii-Boh-Bi, watching the Paladins as they acted out their lines.

“According to my thermal calculations, there’s only one thing that can cause a sound like that!” Pidge said. “A Galra Robeast!”

The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, excitement buzzing through them all.

“Zarkon’s sent a Robeast to try to destroy us and the planet!” Lance cried. “But we’ll show him who’s going to destroy whom!”

Lance and Hunk cocked their guns, getting ready for a fight. The crowd cheered.

“Everyone, we need to form Voltron!” Shiro said.

The stadium went dark. The low rumblings of the Lions could be heard over the guitar intro and when the lights came back up, there was Voltron, standing tall and proud.

Bii-Boh-Bi pressed a button and the pre-recorded voice of Voltron spoke through the speakers.

_“I am here to defend the universe!”_

Bii-Boh-Bi rubbed his hands in glee, clicking the button that would reveal his Robeast. A few meters behind Voltron, Adam could see a platform beginning to rise. The head of the Robeast had barely been revealed, however, when a large clawed foot stepped on it, pushing the panel back into place.

“Bi boh!” Bii-Boh-Bi cried.

“Hey, language!” Adam said.

 _“What was that?”_ Voltron asked, turning to look at the creature that had taken the Robeast’s place.

It was the same creature they’d encountered at the sandstorm planet – the swarthian marakeet.

“What the heck is that thing doing here?” Adam asked.

Bii-Boh-Bi shook his head, looking just as confused as Adam.

A large, booming voice spoke up, crying, “A new star is born!”

“Wait, is that… Coran?!” Adam brought up a screen, zooming in on the marakeet’s head and sure enough, Coran was standing atop its head.

“Time to steal the show!” Coran yelled. Two red laser beams shot out from the laser pointers he held in either hand. The creature roared much to the glee of the crowd.

Voltron took a fighting stance.

“Wait, they don’t know it’s not real. Oh, shit!” Adam cried, hands scrubbing through his hair. He didn’t have his usual comms to chat to the Lions and there was no way any of them would check their phones during a performance.

“Think, think, think! We need to distract it! LIGHTS!”

Adam’s hand shot out, hitting the big red button on the control panel. The music track started up again as bright beams of light erupted from the hoverscreens floating above Voltron’s head. The marakeet was immediately attracted towards the moving lights, running in the opposite direction of Voltron. Coran got dislodged, the creature’s tail hitting him like a baseball bat and sending flying straight towards –

“Look out!” Adam cried but he was a second too late from moving out of Coran’s way. Coran went bowling into him, sending them both flying backwards and landing against a pile of cardboard boxes and Styrofoam.

Adam groaned as they slid down to the floor, Coran’s deadweight crushing him.

“Coran, get off!” Adam yelled, shoving Coran forward. Coran toppled onto all fours, shaking his head as he came to. Just then, Voltron came flying past them, the bright blue light of his jetpack blinding them for a second.

Adam slowly sat up, pressing his ribcage to check that there weren’t any broken bones. Adam silently thanked the Stars that the stagehands had been too lazy to remove the boxes and packing foam from the control deck.

“Ugh – must. Help. Voltron!”

Adam frowned, crouching at Coran’s side. He was clutching his head, his body spasming.

“Coran? You okay?”

Coran twitched and then that stupid, manic grin was back on his face. “MUST PUT ON THE BIGGEST SPECTACLE IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE!”

“Snap out of it!” Adam yelled, slapping Coran across the face.

Coran blinked, looking up at Adam in shock. “Wha- oh! Worm!”

“Now’s not the time for memeing!” Adam said.

“No, a worm there’s –” Coran gestured frantically towards his ear then he twitched again and the manic smile was back. “NO, stay away from me, heathen!”

“What the quiznack is wrong with you?! Bii-Boh-Bi? A little help?!”

Bii-Boh-Bi was standing watching them in interest, stroking his non-existent chin. “Bii boh boh boh bii.”

“Conscious-Sneezy mind enhancer?” Adam translated.

“Boh bi boh bi bi.”

“A worm that latches onto the brain? What is this a B-rated sci fi film?”

“Boh bi bi!”

“I am taking this seriously!”

“Adam! He- No, the show must go on! I – get it ou-out!” Coran kept fluctuating, his body spasming, eye twitching as he tried to fight the enhancer.

“Bi boh!” Bii-Boh-Bi said.

Adam held Coran down as instructed, watching in amazement as Bii-Boh-Bi reached into Coran’s ear and extracted the worm. He threw it out the window, clapping his hands clean with a smug smile.

“Remind me to give you a pay raise,” Adam said.

Coran sat up ramrod straight, eyes darting about, lips downturned in a confused frown. “Where-what – ADAM! Oh, thank the Ancients!”

“What were you thinking, taking space drugs?!” Adam yelled.

“Nevermind that, we have to warn the Paladins!” Coran scrambled to his feet, running to the control panel. He pressed a sequence of buttons, opening a comms link between the control room and Voltron.

“Paladins! That monster you’re fighting is real! I know because I brought it here!”

 _“What?!”_ Allura cried.

“A brain worm talked me into it!” Coran said. “It’s – a long story…”

“Which we can all laugh at later but right now you lot need to get that monster away from the crowd!” Adam said.

 _“Wait, that’s not special effects?!”_ Hunk yelled, distraught.

Just then, the marakeet opened its mouth, aiming a volatile yellow beam of light directly at Voltron.

 _“Pidge, the shield!”_ Shiro ordered.

Voltron’s shield was put up just in time to block the creature’s fire. Voltron retaliated with a laser beam from Red, but it bounced off the marakeet’s plated armour like water slipping off a duck’s back.

 _“Well that didn’t work,”_ Pidge deadpanned.

Lance grunted in irritation. _“That thing took a direct hit and no damage? What the heck!”_

Voltron leapt to the side as the creature made to pounce, shield still up.

Adam scrubbed his hands through his hair, racking his brain for ideas. His eyes got caught on the hoverscreen currently showing a close-up on Voltron’s face, colourful lights still dancing around the stadium.

“Oh! Oh! Idea!” Adam cried. “Use the hoverscreen to lure the creature out of the stadium!”

 _“I’m on it!”_ Allura said.

Everyone watched with bated breath as Voltron leapt into the air. Blue’s leg swung up in a graceful arc, kicking the hoverscreen like a star soccer player would the winning goal. The hoverscreen went flying, soaring up and over towards the open end of the stadium where the creature had first appeared.

The marakeet, entranced by the colourful lights, ran after the hoverscreen, leaving the stadium and disappearing into the far distance.

The crowd, completely unaware of what real danger they had been in only moments ago, roared with applause. To them, it was the best finale they could have asked for.

Adam collapsed against the control panel, sliding down until he was seated on the floor. “Oh, thank the Stars, that’s over.”

Coran sat beside him, releasing a long sigh. “I can’t believe that actually happened.”

“And I can’t believe you actually resorted to drugs to make the show better!” Adam snapped. “When we get back to the Castle, I’m giving a presentation on why you don’t take weird worm pills from strangers!”

Coran hung his head in defeat, looking properly chastised. “Yes, Adam.”

*

Coran gave them the full story when they’d all regrouped on the bridge. Apparently, the unilu he’d been chatting to back at the hospital was the one to sell him the enhancer.

“I truly am sorry, everyone,” Coran said. “I never should have trusted that unilu. Looking back now, I can’t believe how foolish I was!”

“Yeah, I mean, worm pills? Seriously?” Lance said, a visible shiver running up his spine just thinking about it.

Coran only nodded. “I didn’t mean to take us this far off the mission.”

“Well actually…” Shiro intoned. “Thanks to the, uh… enhancer, the plan worked. The Coalition is bigger than ever.”

Shiro brought up the galactic map and sure enough, the green areas had only grown bigger after their final performance.

“Okay, while that’s great news that still doesn’t mean that what you did was right, Coran,” Adam said. “What if something happened to you?”

Coran’s head shot up; eyes wide with surprise. “What?”

“That worm was not healthy for you. It could have done some serious brain damage.”

“Yeah, and then where would we be without our awesome Space Uncle?” Lance added.

Coran sniffled, happy tears cascading down his cheeks. “You were that worried about me?”

“Of course,” Allura said. She came to Coran’s side, giving him a tight squeeze. “We’re family. Family look out for each other.”

“Allura,” Coran said breathlessly.

“Alright, I’m calling it, group hug!” Hunk said.

There were no complaints from anyone, team Voltron coming together in a big group hug. When they pulled away, Adam coughed, getting everyone’s attention.

“I still think Coran should have some corporal punishment. How about doing the dishes for the next month?”

“You’ve got a deal!” Coran said. They shook hands on it.

“Also, sorry for being a control freak,” Coran said, voice lowered so it was just between them. “And yelling, and firing you, and –”

Adam stopped him in his tracks, placing his hands on Coran’s shoulders. “Coran, it’s okay. You’re forgiven. ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ ਅਤੇ ਭੁੱਲਣਾ.”

Coran gave a wobbly smile at the Altean phrase, bringing Adam into a warm hug.

“ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਪਿਆਰ ਹੈ.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Voltron Show's musical segment is inspired by [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULtWcwMRTk0&list=PLlCCqOjphIuax3eBRmvuurW__2XnzPCNZ&index=14&t=0s) awesome animatic by Doodlelist on YouTube. I recommend you go check it out, it's very well done! The Voltron version of the lyrics are from the video John Keaton (Shiro's voice actor) uploaded on his birthday a few years ago as a present to the fandom. You can watch the original video [here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoeGe82AFm0)
> 
> Huggable Hunk is something I came across literally years ago on Tumblr and for the life of me I can't find the original post even though I know I saved it under my "fic ideas" tag smh
> 
> SPANISH TRANSLATIONS
> 
> Adam, estás bien? - Adam, are you okay?
> 
> No sé - I don't know
> 
> Ratón, estaré bien - Mouse, I'll be fine
> 
> PUNJABI TRANSLATIONS
> 
> ਮਾਫ ਕਰਨਾ ਅਤੇ ਭੁੱਲਣਾ - Forgive and forget
> 
> ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਪਿਆਰ ਹੈ - In the context of the fic this is meant to say "You are cherished" but the direct translation is "I love you"
> 
> If I've gotten anything wrong for either of these please let me know and I'll fix them!


	6. It's The Final Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Team Voltron begin their attack to win a third of the galaxy, Acxa’s faith in Lotor begins to waver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only 10:30pm here but I'm about to pass out at my desk so hopefully, this came out well. On a slightly different note, there's one chapter left and then season 4 is officially over! Between this season and the next I'm going to post a one-shot fic that chronicles Lance and Keith's growing friendship *cough cough* **romance** *cough* over long distance so keep your eyes peeled for that too!

The first thing Adam noticed when they started their video call with Kolivan was the small wave Keith offered Lance.

It was tiny, just a quick flash of fingers and the slight tilt of his lips and then his face was schooled back into a serious expression as Kolivan went straight into the day’s itinerary. Adam shot a look to Lance, catching him nervously tucking a curl of hair behind his ear. His cheekbones were dusted pink.

“Entire Galra fleets have been mobilized,” Kolivan said, bringing Adam back to the conversation at hand. “Zarkon seems to be out looking for Lotor.”

“It’s only a matter of time before he gets the Empire back in order. We need to take advantage at this moment,” Shiro spoke up.

“What are you getting at, Shiro?” Allura asked.

“Now is the time to assemble the coalition that Voltron has been building,” Shiro explained. He brought up the galaxy map, areas in green representing the Voltron Coalition while the purple zones represented areas still under Galra control. “With the intelligence gathered by the Blades and Coalition observers combined with Pidge’s Galra tracking software, we now have a detailed map of the Galra Empire. I’ve identified a line of Coalition planets that runs through the territory.” White hexagons popped up, highlighting the line of planets Shiro was talking about. “If you look closely, there’s only one Galra-occupied planet left on that line.”

Adam squinted, reading the Altean markings. “Naxzela.”

“Exactly,” Shiro said, shooting Adam a quick smile. “If we capture Naxzela and solidify that line, we can cut off all the Galra troops behind it from central command and use our position to defeat them.”

“Wow! We could take back a third of the Galra Empire in one fell swoop!” Pidge said, stars in her eyes.

Hunk raised his hand, “Uh, yeah, but do we have an actual plan? Or is this still in the stage of hypothesis?”

“We attack several locations across the region at once,” Shiro continued. “First, we’ll need to cut off communications between the regions and Galra central command by hacking the satellite relay station orbiting Vantax 5.”

“Pidge and I can handle that,” Hunk said, offering a thumbs up. “Adam, wanna come as back-up?”

Adam startled a little at the question. “You want me to come?”

“Well, yeah. If Pidge or I get stuck somehow, you’re our next best hacker,” Hunk said with a shrug.

Adam placed a hand to his chest, fluttering his eyelashes. “Aw, you flatter me. Yeah, count me in.”

“The Blades have informed us of two Galra defence systems coming online called zaiforge cannons,” Shiro continued.

Two red diagrams popped up on the map of cannon-like structures in the purple zone.

“These cannons can strike any target within our combat theater. The first, in high orbit around the planet Teq, will be attacked by Coalition air forces lead by Matt and Captain Olia. Kolivan will lead a Marmoran strike team against the second cannon located on planet Senfama which is vulnerable to covert ground attack. We intend to take control of these cannons and use Zarkon’s own firepower against him,” Shiro explained. “Once the Coalition forces and Blades neutralize these targets, Galra defenses will be weakened allowing us to take down the remaining Galra-occupied planets in this area.” The cannons disappeared, the last few spots of purple in the green zone disappearing entirely. “While our forces are taking control of the planets, Naxzela will already be under attack.”

“By who?” Allura asked.

“Voltron,” Adam said, already knowing the answer.

“Awwww yeah!” Lance said, snaking his arms around Pidge and Hunk to gather them in a huddle. “Team Voltron’s gonna drop in on Nexzela, form Hunk’s giant laser cannon and be all like, Pow! Pow! Pow! Easy-peasy.”

There was a snort and when Adam looked to the big screen, he spotted Keith covering his mouth with his hand, eyes crinkling in the corners. He caught Keith’s eye, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Keith lowered his hand to reveal his classic scowl. It only made Adam grin wider.

“Hate to burst your bubble, Lance, but it’s not gonna be that easy,” Shiro said. “Naxzela will be tough. It’s heavily fortified with Galra. Our attack must be swift enough to neutralize the Galra forces before they have time to contact Galra headquarters. Because if they call for reinforcements…” Shiro frowned, looking uncertain for the first time since the meeting started, “We’ll be caught on two fronts.”

“If this works, the Voltron Coalition will have taken back a third of the Galra Empire’s territory,” Kolivan said, “It’ll be a massive victory.”

That seemed to placate Shiro enough, as his frown melted away.

“And inspire a whole new wave of rebellion,” Allura added.

Shiro nodded. “There’s no time to waste.”

“We’ve got our work cut out for us, don’t we,” Adam sighed.

“Oh yeah,” Hunk said, nodding along. “But that’s never stopped us before, right?”

Adam smiled. “Right.”

*

They’d been travelling almost non-stop for three movements at this point. Zethrid’s patience was waning fast and the longer they went without conversation, the more nervous Ezor became. Acxa went through her breathing exercises to keep herself calm. During all of this, Lotor had not wavered. He seemed as sure as he had the day before everything went south. As if his plans hadn’t been uprooted. As if they weren’t on the run. As if he hadn’t killed Narti without so much as a batted eyelash.

 _“Ezor, Acxa,”_ Lotor said, speaking through their comms link. _“Set a course for the co-ordinates I’m sending you.”_

“Where are we going?” Ezor asked.

 _“Just do as I say,”_ Lotor snapped and with that, he signed off.

So maybe he wasn’t as calm as Acxa had first thought.

Acxa peered down below to see how Ezor was doing. She was sitting with her knees tucked up to her chest, chin pillowed on her forearms. They were piloting the first sincline ship while Zethrid piloted the newest ship with Lotor.

She watched now as Ezor leaned forward and hit the mute button on their comms link to Lotor.

Acxa opened their vid link so she could see Ezor’s face properly, not bothering with a hello as she asked, “What are you doing?”

“Securing communications to make sure Lotor can’t hear us,” Ezor replied. Before Acxa could question her further Ezor barreled on, “Zarkon called him a criminal, Acxa. Lotor’s on the run, and we’re his generals. That means –”

“We must trust Lotor,” Acxa said, stopping Ezor before she could go any further.

Ezor straightened up in her seat, lips pursed thin as she said, “What about Narti? She trusted him and you saw where that got her! What if –”

“Enough!” Acxa said. Ezor bit down on her lip, averting her gaze. “Lotor will protect us,” Acxa continued, voice softer. _Like he’s always protected me_.

Ezor had nothing more to say on the matter. Without another word, she unmuted Lotor’s link and closed their video chat. And that was the end of that.

*

After days spent travelling between the Coalition planets and gathering troops who were prepared to fight in the invasion, Team Voltron was officially ready to take back a third of the Galra Empire.

Everyone was gathered on the bridge, Kolivan and Keith up on the big screen while Matt and some of the other rebel leaders had joined them in the Castle. The Paladins were dressed in their armour, as well as Adam. It had been a while since he’d taken part on an official mission. It had been strangely satisfying seeing himself in the mirror in his purple and white armour. His laser pistols were tucked in his belt, Shiro’s ring in the small pouch against his hip. Shiro had given him an admiring look when he’d stepped onto the bridge and even with everything going on, Adam’s cheeks had still flushed slightly at the attention.

Adam had been taken aback, however, when he noticed none other than Nyma, Rolo and Beezer amongst the rebels.

“Ahem, um, Pidge,” Adam said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “What are they doing here?”

“Matt said they’ve been helping out with the Coalition forces,” Pidge explained.

Adam pouted. “You just couldn’t stay mad at the adorable robot, could you?”

Pidge’s calm façade broke, her voice cracking as she huddled behind Beezer, exclaiming, “HOW CAN ANYONE STAY MAD AT HIM? LOOK AT HIM ADAM! LOOK. AT. HIM.”

Rolo and Nyma looked up at the small commotion, Rolo catching Adam’s eye.

“Ah, so we meet again,” he said in his lazy Texan-style drawl.

Adam narrowed his eyes as he looked him up and down. He stole a quick glance at the big screen to see what Keith thought of all of this. He had nothing to worry about, however. Lance and Keith seemed to be having a full-on conversation with their eyes alone.

Putting on a genial smile, and with only a hint of smugness, Adam offered his hand to Rolo. “Welcome to the good guys,” he said.

“Glad to be here,” Rolo replied, returning his handshake.

“Alright, everybody,” Coran said, gathering everyone’s attention. “Princess, are you ready to begin the broadcast?”

Allura was stood on her podium, Paladin armour buffed until it seemed to sparkle. She was about to address a third of the entire universe. Adam felt nervous just watching her.

“Have we secured communications?” she asked.

“Yes!” Pidge replied. She was resting her forearms on Beezer’s head, the little robot’s ears waggling as it beeped happily. Matt was beside her, still a blushing mess in Allura’s presence.  
“Matt and I used the rebel’s transponder encryption, so we’re good to go.”

“Always helps to have a pair of tech genius siblings about,” Coran added, sending a wink Pidge’s way. She grinned in return.

“Alright,” Allura said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and when she opened them again, they were set with determination. The blue light of the crystal above her shone brighter as she opened up a communication link to all of the Coalition planets. Around them, a giant diagram representing each link blinked to life. Once every planet was connected by an aquamarine blue line, the Castle’s symbol glowed. They were ready.

“Fellow members of the Voltron Coalition,” Allura began. “If you are hearing me now, it is because you have pledged to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in our fight against Zarkon’s enslavement of the free peoples of the universe. But that enslavement is about to be dealt a crushing blow. The time for a full-scale attack on the Galra Empire is now.

“Far in the future, when they speak of this day, they will speak of our sacrifice, but they will also remember this as the day that freedom began to overtake tyranny. You all have your missions. You know what to do. Good luck. We’ll see you on the other side.”

The light of the crystal faded as Allura closed the comms link. She released a shaky breath as she stepped off the podium, looking a little uncertain as she met the group’s eyes.

Adam stepped forward, patting her on the shoulder. “You did good, Princess Peach.”

“You think?” Allura asked, giving a nervous laugh.

Adam nodded. “Princess Leia would be proud.”

“Oh, is she one of the great rulers on Earth?” Allura asked, eyes sparkling.

Adam pursed his lips, “Uh. In a way?”

“Adam, stop giving false information about how Earth works,” Pidge said. “We’ve got a relay station to hack.”

“Then stop flirting with Beezer,” Adam quipped.

“I am not flirting!” Pidge exclaimed.

“Uh huh, sure, keep telling yourself that,” Adam said, ruffling her hair as they started towards the elevator.

“Adam!”

Adam stopped, turning to see Keith on the big screen still. He should have signed off already to get ready for his ground mission.

“What’s up?”

“Just… stay safe,” Keith said. “All of you.”

“Awww, you do care!” Lance said.

Keith sputtered, cheeks turning blotchy. “Sh-shut up! Of course I care!”

“We love you too, Keith,” Adam said. There was no teasing lilt to his voice this time. It was pure honesty.

Keith’s eyes softened. “Yeah… see you guys on the other side.”

“And don’t forget your promise!” Lance added quickly before Keith signed off. Keith nodded and then the big screen blinked out.

“What promise?” Adam asked.

Lance scrubbed a hand through his curls. He was smiling shyly. “I may or may not have made him take a week off to come to visit once we’ve completed the mission.”

Adam elbowed him jokingly in the ribs. “Little shit, and you didn’t think to tell me?”

“It was gonna be a surprise!” Lance argued.

“Kay, enough girl talk, we’ve gotta go,” Pidge said. She grabbed Adam’s hand, dragging him with her off the bridge.

“Can’t believe you didn’t make a Mean Girl’s reference,” Adam teased.

Pidge tilted her head in confusion. “Huh?”

“You know, ‘Get in loser, we’re going shopping?’”

“Why would we go shopping, we’re about to go on a mission?”

Adam facepalmed. “I keep forgetting you lot are so uncultured.”

*

They were nearing Lotor’s co-ordinates.

A few kilometers out, they’d entered a large cloud of gas, giving an overall misty quality to their surroundings. The closer they got to the co-ordinates, the more rubble they had to dodge.

 _“Sir,”_ Zethrid said, _“We’re approaching the co-ordinates but my scanners don’t detect anything.”_

 _“They’re not supposed to,”_ Lotor replied.

Just then, they cleared their way through a dense patch of mist. As the mist cleared, their location was revealed.

A giant domed-shaped planet loomed before them. Or at least, its remains did.

Whatever planet this had once been, it was long-since dead. Large chunks of it still hung nearby in its orbit, smoke and mist clinging to its dirt-brown structures.

“Lotor, what is this?” Ezor asked.

 _“The ruins of planet Daibazaal,”_ Lotor answered coolly.

Acxa tailed Lotor and Zethrid’s ship, following them closely as they made their way towards the center of the planet. There, nestled amongst the ruins was a blue circular structure. It was vaguely familiar, Acxa remembering seeing diagrams for this very structure in Lotor’s quarters. When she had asked about them, Lotor had quickly changed the subject and so Acxa never brought it up again.

Ezor let out a soft gasp upon seeing it, asking, almost childlike, “What is that?”

_“Zarkon believed that Aflor’s plan to blow up Daibazaal and destroy the rift between the realties actually worked. No one comprehended that the experiments of my mother, Honerva, could never be undone.”_

Acxa could hear the smile in Lotor’s voice. He always had been one for a bit of theatrics, enjoying revealing plans that had been months of even years in the making as they successfully unfolded.

 _“I had a secret team build this inter-reality gate on the rift where her work began,”_ Lotor continued. _“Just as Voltron was able to, I will pilot us through the rift. We will harvest the unlimited quintessence that exists in the layer between realities.”_

“I never doubted you, Lotor,” Acxa said, relief evident in her voice. Ezor’s earlier doubts had been playing non-stop in her head like a broken record. But this, this put all those questions to bed. Lotor could always be trusted. He knew what he was doing, always had, and always would.

“So, we can just fly right through this thing into another reality?” Ezor asked. Acxa could hear her skepticism. If Lotor did as well, he seemed unbothered by it.

_“I’ve not yet had a chance to test the gate. My plans have been accelerated by our recent… turn of events.”_

As he spoke, the center of the gate began to glow, powering up.

_“But if my calculations are correct, by infusing our ships with concentrated quintessence, we should be able to pierce the barrier between realities.”_

Lotor’s ship began to glow that same pearlescent blue as the gate, slowly making it's way closer and closer to the barrier.

Acxa halted their ship, waiting and watching from a safe distance.

 _“Sir, this is all the concentrated quintessence we have left,”_ Zethrid spoke up.

 _“And I will use it to reap an untold amount more,”_ Lotor replied with no hesitation whatsoever.

The comms link began to crackle as Lotor’s ship neared the gate.

Acxa’s fingers were trembling with nervous energy. She had long since given up the ideas of deities and gods in the sky, but now she couldn’t help wishing she had someone to pray to.

She held her breath as she watched Lotor’s ship glide through the gate. For a scant second, her vision was filled with piercing blue light. There was a flash and then the gate began to power down. Lotor’s ship was still visible, having appeared unscathed on the other side.

There was a tense silence. Then, Zethrid’s voice came through the comms, _“Uh… did it work?”_

It hadn’t. Lotor’s plan had failed, their last hope diminished.

Acxa could no longer bite back her disappointment. They were ruined and not even Lotor could save them now.

*

Adam’s entire body was thrumming with excitement. He may or not also be a little jittery from nerves, but he wasn’t as bad as Hunk who hadn’t stopped murmuring to himself since they’d left the Castle.

Green, cloaked and sufficiently hidden from the Galra’s radar, was heading towards the satellite, Adam, Hunk and Pidge in the hangar too, ready to deploy themselves.

Pidge had a video chat open on her gauntlet, Shiro’s face on the screen.

“When you’ve finished knocking out the communications hub, meet us at the rendezvous point.”

“Copy that Shiro,” Pidge said. “According to its trajectory, we’ll be entering the dark zone in five ticks.”

Pidge closed the video chat and began counting down.

“Five –”

“No pressure, Hunk,” Hunk murmured.

“Four.”

“Just the entire Coalition depends on this –”

“Three –”

“and our success in taking down the hub –”

“Two –”

“Oh, Stars –”

“One!”

A hatch opened up below them. Adam, Pidge and Hunk hurtled out of the Green Lion, activating their jetpacks and flying towards the hub station. Just as they neared it, a shadow enveloped the hub, hiding them perfectly. They managed to enter through the open transport tower that leads directly to the hangar.

Being a remote hub out in seemingly the middle of nowhere, there was hardly any guards to take care of – just the occasional droid patrolling the hallways. Still, Adam had fun making use of his pistols.

Just before Hunk was about to the blow off the doors to the bridge, Adam stopped him.

“Wait wait wait!”

“What?”

“I’ve always wanted to do this…” Adam snuck up to the door and knocked. _Thunk-thunk-the-thunk thunk. Thunk, thunk._

He stepped to the side, gesturing that now, Hunk may blow the doors off their hinges.

Pidge scoffed. “Nerd.”

“I take my pleasure where I can,” Adam replied.

Hunk’s shoulder cannon made easy work of the doors, the two droids guarding it from the inside blown away by the impact. Hunk and Adam charged through the smoke, opening fire and clearing a path for Pidge to use her grappling hook.

Hunk and Adam took out two droids on the left, while Pidge’s grappling hook pierced through the chest of another on the right.

The Galra soldier in charge of the bridge nearly jumped two feet in the air as the first shots rang.

Hunk and Adam kept firing, aiming for the droids operating the hub’s main systems. The Galra soldier jumped over his podium, sprinting towards the control panel. Adam was about to aim for his knee when a droid came out of nowhere, baton in hand. It was sparking and sputtering, an electric current no doubt running through it. Adam brought up his shield just in time before the baton could hit him, sparks flying off his shield. Hunk seemed to be in the same predicament, having to throw his shoulder cannon aside to block the baton in time.

“Pidge,” Adam yelled, “Don’t let him trip the alarm!”

Pidge, the only one free, aimed her grappling hook at the Galra. She fired, the hook wrapping around her target and pulling him back away from the control panel. However, he used his strength to tug back, pulling Pidge off her feet and up into the air, hurtling towards him. She used her jetpack to gain ground, evening herself out to land solidly on her feet as the Galra soldier untangled himself from her wire. As soon as she landed, Pidge swung out with her free arm, but the soldier caught it and threw her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. Pidge used her jetpack again, twisting herself so she could push off the wall she’d been thrown at and back into the fray.

She wrapped her arms snugly around the soldier’s neck, clinging to his back. The soldier struggled at first before suddenly twisting and falling hard onto his back, squashing Pidge underneath his weight. She gasped her grip slackening and allowing the soldier to scrabble to his feet.

Adam gritted his teeth. He wasn’t about to let Pidge have all the fun. Quickly, he ducked, sweeping his foot out and tripping the droid that had try to corner him. He shot it cleanly through the chest, oil beginning to trickle on the floor.

Hunk had gotten rid of his own droid by smashing it against the wall. Adam was about to take aim at the soldier, but another droid got to him first.

“Hunk!” he yelled.

“I’m on it!”

Hunk sprinted towards where Pidge and the soldier were still struggling. She’d managed to trip him up, the soldier struggling to his feet once more.

“Pidge, duck!” Hunk yelled.

Pidge did so and Adam watched in awe as Hunk leapt through the air. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The soldier looking up and gasping in fright, Hunk, reigning down on him and hitting him square in the face with his elbow.

The soldier went down, Hunk sitting atop his unconscious form in triumph.

Once Adam had gotten the final droid off his tail, he joined Pidge and Hunk at the control panel. He kept his pistols raised, watching the door while Pidge did her work.

Hunk peeled off the metal sheet to reveal the inner workings just underneath the control panel. Pidge made quick work of it, hacking into the system.

“Comms station hacked,” she said. “Ghost signal initiated. Fully automated so Galra HQ thinks it’s running. We have about eight hours before they figure it out.”

“Till then, no calls get in or out,” Hunk said, sharing a grin with Adam.

Pidge’s gauntlet screen flipped back to her video with Shiro who’d been listening in. “Coran will monitor it from the Castle, so we know when it’s back online. Great work guys.”

“We’ll see you soon,” Pidge said, “Over and out.”

The video chat closed, and Pidge offered up high-fives to the both of them.

“Alright!” Adam said, clapping his hand with hers.

“Phew!” Hunk sighed. “Man, that was close.”

“You did great,” Adam praised.

“Yeah, that elbow attack was awesome!” Pidge said. She was busy typing into her gauntlet, calling Green to come fetch them.

Hunk chuckled, smiling bashfully. “Aw, shucks, it was nothing.”

Soon enough, they were settled in Green’s cockpit and heading back to the Castle to drop off Adam and get Hunk to Yellow.

“Have fun?” Hunk asked.

Adam nodded. “A bit. It’s been a while since I was out in the field.”

Hunk smiled. “Yeah, you looked like you needed the distraction.”

Adam frowned. “What do you mean?”

Hunk pursed his lips, sharing a look with Pidge before saying, “Well, since before the Voltron shows you’ve seemed a little, I dunno tense? I figured maybe you were stressed about something?”

Adam froze. Hunk was right, of course he was. Ever since Adam had found about Shiro’s… problem, he’d been a bit on edge. The weeks they were busy with the Voltron shows had provided some distraction, but he was still busy running possibilities and theories through his head, trying to come up with plausible reasons as to what was going on. He hadn’t had time to dig through the Castle’s library as much as he’d like. To be honest, he didn’t even know where to start. He’d considered more than once asking someone else for advice but would quickly scratch out the thought. He didn’t want to cause unnecessary panic. The team had only just gotten used to having Shiro back as the Black Paladin, he wasn’t about to jeopardize Team Voltron based off a hunch.

“Just been thinking about a lot of things,” Adam admitted. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

Hunk nodded sagely. “I get you. Once this is over, I think we all deserve a little break.”

Adam smiled, remembering what Lance had told him. “If we do manage to get Keith for a week, we could make a whole family vacation out of it.”

“Now you’re talking!” Hunk cheered, clapping Adam on the back.

It was enough to steer the conversation away from Adam’s problem, and enough to distract him, even if only for a few minutes.

*

By the time Adam made it back onto the bridge, Hunk and Pidge had set off with the rest of the Lions and the rebel air forces were nearing the first zaiforge cannon.

“What did I miss?” Adam asked, panting as he caught his breath.

“Not much yet,” Coran said. They were both standing at their stations, the galaxy map open to reveal the zaiforge cannons’ locations as well as Naxzela and the rest of the Coalition’s movements.

Adam brought up his own smaller diagram, showing the placement of the rebel air force’s ships in conjunction with the zaiforge cannon. He watched as they approached, fingers clenching and unclenching with nerves.

His comms link with Matt’s ship was also open, allowing him to hear everything.

 _“You guys ready for this?”_ Captain Olia asked. Adam had only met the rebel captain on a couple of occasions. From the scant conversations they’d had, she seemed like quite the character. A single mom with two kids who were currently being looked after by her sister, she had a firm command on her fleet but also a heart of gold. Her kindness went hand in hand with her strict approach when getting her troops in line. She had a sharp tongue, an even sharper wit and she also made the most amazing brownies Adam had ever tasted. So obviously, he liked her immediately.

 _“Ready as we’ll ever be,”_ Rolo replied.

_“Alright then, all ships form up and begin attack!”_

Adam watched in agitation as the ships began their descent on the Galra. Shots were fired and the fray began. The rebels lost a ship not two minutes into the battle, but otherwise, they seemed to be holding their own. Rolo and Olia’s ships lost the two Galra fighter jets on their tail by causing them to smash into a nearby floating asteroid. They began nearing the zaiforge cannon.

_“We have to take out those defensive turrets!”_

Four of the rebel ships lined up and opened fire, about to take out the turrets. Their shots were blocked however by an invisible forcefield.

 _“Captain!”_ Matt yelled, _“There’s no way we can get through those shields!”_

“Shit,” Adam swore.

 _“All crafts, pull back!”_ Olia ordered.

The ships pulled back, coming back into formation further away from the cannon. Olia and Matt were still discussing new tactics when the zaiforge cannon made its first blow.

Even just watching on his tiny diagram version of the fray, Adam still flinched when four more of the rebel ships got taken out by the cannon’s laser.

They were ten minutes into the battle. A third of the rebel forces had already been obliterated.

 _“Blades, we’re in trouble,”_ Olia said, _“What’s the status of your cannon?”_

There was no response.

_“Blades!”_

*

They were running.

They’d manage to dispatch from their ships without a hitch, Kolivan leading their troop as they ran through the dense forests of planet Senfama.

Keith had been fast before, back on Earth. He’d always come first at his school’s sprint races growing up. Back then, he just thought it was because of his slight stature, allowing him to be quick and light on his feet. Now, however, having spent so many months with the Blades, he couldn’t help wonder if his Galra genes hadn’t helped a bit. After all his training with the Blades, Keith had become faster, lighter on his feet, and stronger than he thought imaginable. Maybe it was just the Blades’ training. Or maybe it was because it appealed to his Galra side unlike the Garrison and Team Voltron's training regimens had.

Back when he first started his official training as a Blade, he hadn’t been able to keep up with the other soldiers. It had been frustrating to no end, making Keith question whether he really deserved to be there. However, Kolivan had assured him that his instincts would soon become honed and the raw talent he’d once not known what to do with would be refined.

Now, he was considered one of the fastest members of the Blades to date. He kept up with Kolivan easily, barely having to think as he jumped and dodged and leapt over tree roots and low-hanging branches.

Running as fast as they were, Keith had been a little distracted from the other side of the fight currently going on, Olia screaming for the Blades finally bringing him out of whatever zone he’d synced into when they’d started running.

_“Blades, we’re in trouble. What’s the status of your cannon? Blades!”_

“Copy, Olia,” Keith said, “We’re en route.” Just as he said it, they cleared the dense patch of forest they’d been running through, the sky opening up above them to reveal a steep cliffside and atop it: the zaiforge cannon.

The group slowed down as they neared the stairs leading up to the entrance of the facility. Kolivan held his hand in a wait signal. Everyone stilled.

Kolivan went ahead and when Keith heard the clatter of the first droid going down, followed quickly after him, the rest of the Blades hot on his heel.

Keith dodged laser fire, unsheathing his blade and slicing one of the droids cleaning through the waist, its torso and gun clattering to the ground. Flipping his blade into the air, he twisted his body, snatched it out of the air and stabbed the second droid in the chest, causing it to collapse in on itself.

They scaled the stairs, entering the facility and heading towards the control room.

Keith could hear the voices of the Galra in charge as they neared the room.

“Commander, I’ve detected a large mass entering planet Naxzela’s atmosphere. It’s not one of ours.”

 _Voltron’s made it then in one piece,_ Keith thought, unable to hide his grin.

“Contact Galra HQ,” the commander bellowed.

“All communications seem to be down, our alerts aren’t getting through,” another soldier said.

They’d heard enough.

Two other Blades felled the droids guarding the door, allowing Keith’s partner to attack the first lieutenant right from under the commander’s nose. It was only once the lieutenant’s body hit the floor did the commander even realise what was going on. Keith knocked him out using the butt of his blade, leaping into the air and landing a roundhouse kick to the solider controlling the cannon. The soldier crumpled to the floor, knocked out cold.

Keith banished his mask, taking the controls of the cannon in his hand. They were hologram handles in the standard Galra purple, a small screen in front of him acting as the gun sight.

“Now let’s see how this thing works,” Keith said. He looked up to the big screen in front of him, trying to locate the exact position of the other zaiforge cannon.

_“Keith, are you there?”_

“Adam?”

_“Yeah, it’s me. You guys seize the cannon?”_

“As Lance would say, easy-peasy,” Keith said, grinning.

 _“The Senfama zaiforge cannon is ours. Naxzela attack is underway,”_ Keith heard Coran call through Adam’s comms link.

“Any news from Voltron?” Keith asked.

 _“Not yet,”_ Adam said, _“But you’ll be the first to know if shit goes down.”_

“Eloquent as always,” Keith said, rolling his eyes.

_“Oh hush, I’m worried about them, okay!”_

Keith let out a quiet huff. “Yeah. Me too.”

 _Please, stay safe,_ he prayed silently. Hopefully, his prayers would be answered.

*

Shiro could only imagine the entrance they were making.

Naxzela’s sky was overcast, providing them with the perfect cover as they entered the atmosphere. They’d cut down a few Galra’ fighter cruisers, allowing their remains to fall to the earth before they themselves touched down.

As Shiro said, he couldn’t imagine the entrance this created for the poor soldiers below. But he had a job to do, a team lead and a whole lot of planets to save. The success of this mission was riding on his shoulders and he wasn’t going let himself get distracted and risk the mission.

An image of Adam appeared in his mind’s eyes. Just there for a second, and then gone.

Adam had seemed a little tense lately. It hadn’t been obvious at first, just small little gestures like how his smiles sometimes didn’t reach his eyes or how he’d tense up whenever Shiro touched him. It would be for a second, just a split second, and then he’d suddenly melt and it would be like nothing had happened. But he’d still tense up for that split second and it had been gnawing at the back of Shiro’s conscious, sowing doubt into his mind about their relationship. He’d thought back again and again to what could have caused this hair-thin rift but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t come up with an answer. Had he said something that made Adam uncomfortable? But then, Adam was always the first to call Shiro out. Adam wasn’t one for keeping quiet when something irritated him, especially if it’s something either Keith or Shiro has done. Adam believed in communication. So why was he trying to hide whatever was bothering him?

Shiro shook his head. He didn’t have time to worry about that right now.

They’d landed on Naxzela, Voltron stood tall and ready as Galra battlecruisers started towards them.

Shiro took in a quick lay of the land. Naxzela seemed more metal than planet, the entire surface covered in cold steel Galra tech and structures.

There were sharped angled turrets all around them, looking like the jagged teeth of a ragged-toothed shark. And there, not too far in the distance and palatial in structure, was the control tower of Naxzela.

“Alright Paladins,” Shiro said, addressing the rest of the team. “We’ve only got one chance to take down Naxzela. So let’s make it count!”

They dove straight into action. Voltron used Red and Green’s mouth cannons to make the first shot at the nearest battlecruisers. Two went down, along with some of the nearby turrets that got caught in the crossfire. _Good_ , Shiro thought. _The more damage the better._

 _“Incoming cruiser, three o’clock!”_ Lance called out.

Shiro activated Voltron’s jetpack, Blue and Yellow pushing up off the ground and allowing Voltron to smoothly dodge the ion cannon’s beam.

Voltron had barely made it a few meters off the ground, however, when something exploded from behind them.

 _“What was that?”_ Allura cried.

 _“I can’t see anything!”_ Lance replied just as they were hit again from somewhere on their left.

It didn’t matter where they went. If they tried to find footing on the ground, they got hit from behind, up to the left and they were shot from the front, right and again hit from seemingly out of nowhere.

Shiro couldn’t see what was causing these explosions. There were no battlecruisers nearby, no fighter jets shooting at them so what the hell was causing all of this?

Everyone yelled in unison as they were hit again, the impact causing Voltron to stumble forward. Shiro rightened them, catching Voltron before he could fall.

“What’s hitting us?” he asked. “Pidge?”

There was the sound of buttons being pushed and then Pidge replied, _“We’re in a minefield. Somehow, the bombs were cloaked.”_

 _“Shield! SHIELD!”_ Hunk cried.

Shiro looked up, Pidge bringing up their shield just in time to block an ion cannon’s laser.

Shiro gritted his teeth, Voltron standing his ground against the power of the laser.

 _“My systems can detect the mines but there’s just too many to safely manoeuvre through them,”_ Pidge explained. _“And with the cruisers covering every possible exit from this minefield, we have no way out!”_

 _“Pidge, that is not want to hear while we’re being attacked on all sides!”_ Hunk cried.

 _“Wait a tick! Perhaps I can freeze the mines!”_ Allura said.

 _“Yes! Then we could fly out of here before they explode!”_ Lance added.

Shiro smiled. The Paladins may not have noticed, but they were far surer of themselves now than they had been when they first started working together as Voltron. Lance had especially stepped up, no doubt from being Keith’s right-hand man.

“Sounds like a plan,” Shiro said. “Freeze them Allura!”

Voltron disbanded, the Lions scattering so they were no longer one target, providing the cover Allura needed as she activated Blue’s freeze ray and began freezing the mines. As her ray swept through the air, the mines, now giant frozen balls of ice, popped up from seemingly out of nowhere. They were really were surrounded. Shiro didn’t know what they might have done if they’d hadn’t figured out this solution sooner.

But he didn’t need to. Because they were here, together, and they were moving forward. And he couldn’t be prouder.

“Alright, let’s move. Form Voltron!”

*

Lotor’s plan had failed.

Acxa was still trying to come to grips with this reality.

They’d landed both sincline ships on a nearby asteroid that overlooked the trans-reality gate. Lotor stood at the edge of the asteroid, back to them. He just stared and stared at the structure as if by glaring at it long enough he could somehow scare it into working.

Zethrid and Ezor kept glancing anxiously between Axca and Lotor. Ezor had cut off Lotor’s comms link to their helmets as soon as they’d landed, ensuring that he could speak to them, but that he couldn’t hear what they had to say.

“I told you so,” Ezor said, finally breaking the tense silence. “All of Lotor’s plans have failed.”

Zethrid nodded. “He’s gonna turn on us as soon as it's in his best interest. We have to strike first.”

“If we turn him over to Galra headquarters now, maybe they’ll show us mercy,” Ezor said in agreement.

“We’ve gotta take him down, it’s our only chance,” Zethrid added.

They both looked to Acxa, awaiting her opinion.

It was unsaid amongst the three of them, but Acxa, being Lotor’s right hand, was technically their leader when Lotor wasn’t there. She was also the only one standing between them and Lotor. Out of them all, Acxa was the closest and most loyal to Lotor. She’d always regarded him as her saviour, her provider for a reason to fight and seek justice the way only Lotor could.

But now, standing before her, Lotor did not seem so much a saviour as another lost soul. A desperate man who’d gone so far as to kill a friend in order to gain just a little extra time before the guillotine struck him down.

Acxa bowed her head, saying nothing before she stepped away from her generals and started towards Lotor.

Ezor and Zethrid said nothing, breaths held as they watched Acxa approach their leader.

When she was barely a meters away, Lotor finally turned his head. His eyes were stricken, mouth downturned. But upon seeing Axca, his troubled look seemed to almost melt. His mouth parted but before he could say anything, Acxa had already raised her gun and taken aim.

“For Narti.”

She released a single blast, hitting Lotor square in the chest. He let out a quiet gasp on impact and then crumpled to the ground.

Ezor and Zethrid ran up to them, their breathing loud and echoing in Acxa’s ears.

“Did you kill him?” Zethrid panted.

Acxa bit down on her lip, holding back her tears as she replied, “He’s just stunned.”

She felt numb even as Ezor placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She didn’t recognize her own voice as she spoke her orders, “Help me secure him. We don’t have much time.”

*

Adam was pacing at this point. Until Teq’s cannon’s forcefield was taken down, the rebels were pretty much sitting ducks being out there in the open. They’d lost another two ships as they struggled to find cover, dodging fire from the Galra fighter jets that were hunting them down one by one.

 _“We can’t take this fire for long!”_ Olia cried.

 _“See if the Blades can use their cannon to take down the shield,”_ another voice replied. It was more robotic than the others.

 _Ah, N7,_ Adam realized. Matt’s little rebel crush. He hadn’t had the honour of meeting them yet. He prayed to the stars now that he’d still get the chance.

 _“Copy that!”_ Matt replied, passing on the message to Keith.

Adam scanned their surroundings through his digital map, trying to figure out a place they could hide and wait out the worst of it when he spotted it.

“Olia!” he said, “Just ahead of you, there’s a giant domed asteroid, use it for cover until Keith can take down the shield!”

 _“You heard the man! All ships form up and get behind that large asteroid!”_ Olia commanded.

Adam let out a small sigh of relief as the rebel ships made their way behind the asteroid. It was positioned perfectly so that the zaiforge cannon couldn’t hit them until it had obliterated the asteroid first. And he knew they’d try to. But he was counting on the size and girth of that asteroid to provide them enough cover and time in order for Keith to make his hit.

Adam bit down hard on his thumb as he watched the zaiforge cannon take aim on the asteroid. He tasted blood.

*

Despite what the Galra might want to make you believe about them being the most advanced race in the universe, finding the second zaiforge cannon on this frankly confusing as fuck map was proving more difficult than Keith would care to admit.

“Come on, come on, where are you?!”

He’d been running the gun sight over the same damn spots on the map over and over, trying to find the right co-ordinates when finally, he spotted them.

“There!”

Gunsight locked, Keith adjusted his grip on the control handles. “Now let’s see how this thing works.” Pulling the handles back as a windup, Keith thrust his hands forward. A low rumbling echoed through the facility. Keith could hear the high-pitched whine of a laser being powered up and then a blinding shock of purple light erupted before them.

Keith held fast, digging his heels in as he maintained his position and watched in shock and awe as the beam travelled literal lightyears towards planet Teq.

*

Coran had had to wrestle Adam’s thumb out from between his teeth, a candy floss pink plaster now wrapped around his knuckle. A small blotch of red had already begun to soak through.

The asteroid wasn’t going to be able to hold for much longer. Adam could see the cracks beginning to form in its structure, the purple light of the zaiforge cannon’s beam leaking through.

The rebels were all yelling to each other, still fighting off the Galra fighter jets that had them pinned on the other side of the asteroid.

They were literal seconds away from the asteroid being completely destroyed when the beam from the Blades’ cannon hit Teq’s forcefield.

Teq’s beam fizzled out, the forcefield around it sputtering and spasming as it powered down.

 _“Shield’s down, Captain!”_ Matt proclaimed at the same time Adam jumped into Coran’s arms, the both of them whooping and hollering for joy.

Olia gave the order and quick as a whip, the rebel air force had gained control of the area. The last of the Galra fighter jets were picked off and it only took another ten minutes before Olia was calling in from the control room of the cannon, saying their mission was complete.

“Teq’s zaiforge cannon base is ours!” Coran exclaimed.

A video chat window popped up. It was from Olia. She grinned at the camera, sharp canines glistening, one pointed ear flickering as she turned the camera to reveal the group of Galra soldiers tied hog-back style behind her. Matt had his staff in hand. When he spotted the camera, he waved, throwing up a peace sign of all things.

“Cannon acquired and ready to provide back-up,” Olia said.

“Ready to provide the Taujurians with cover!” Keith said. His image popped up alongside Olia’s. His mask was down, revealing his pleased smirk. His bangs were longer than ever, dark mop of hair disappearing into the hood of his suit.

Adam and Coran shared a giddy smike. Adam hadn’t been happier than when he finally got to say, “Copy that. Voltron Coalition, you are clear to begin!”

*

Acxa couldn’t remember how she’d ended up switching places with Zethrid, leaving her to pilot her sincline ship alone with Lotor as her prisoner and Zethrid and Ezor tucked safely in the other, flying just a little ways behind her.

She’d been trying to phone into Galra headquarters for ten doboshes now, but there seemed to be an issue with the connection. It was as she hung up her fourth failed attempt that Lotor awoke.

She could just barely see him down below, his back straightening as he sat up. He’d been sitting slumped forward, unconscious, for well over a varga by now. His neck would no doubt be aching.

His shoulders shimmed as he tried to untuck his hands from behind his back, but they were buffed there, restricting his movements.

“What are you doing?” Lotor asked. He looked back over his shoulder, his eyes finally meeting Acxa’s. They were as cold as stone.

Before Acxa could even begin to formulate an answer, Zethrid answered him. _“Sorry, sir, it’s nothing personal. It’s our only way out.”_

Lotor held Acxa’s gaze a second longer before turning back to face the front, speaking to Zethrid through the video link she’d opened.

“You plan to give me up. I understand, Zethrid.”

“Sir,” Acxa rasped out. She didn’t bother looking at the screen, waiting rather for Lotor to turn again in his seat and face her eye to eye.

A single white brow was arched in question.

“What did you say to her?”

Lotor frowned, sounding a little peeved as he asked, “What did I say to whom?”

“To Narti,” Acxa answered, voice trembling slightly. “After you killed her, you kneeled down and said something. What was it?”

Lotor’s expression smoothed out, his lips almost tilting in the barely-there hint of a smile as he said something in a gruff language Acxa hadn’t heard in decaphoebs.

To roughly translate the old Galra phrase Lotor had said, “I am sorry for the wrong I have done you.”

Acxa bit back a whimper at his honesty. Because he was being honest, and the pain in his eyes at the reminder of what he had done was clear as day to her, even if Zethrid and Ezor chose to overlook it.

Lotor turned his attention back to the screen, addressing Zethrid once more. “I know you three are doing what you must, just like how I had to with Narti. And just like I’ll do now!”

It all happened so fast. Acxa was known for her quick reflexes but even she couldn’t anticipate what Lotor would do next.

She heard the sickening crack of bones grinding against bones as Lotor brought his arms up and over his head. His shoulders were a degree off from being dislocated entirely. He broke the cuffs and slammed his finger on the eject button. The glass hatch above Acxa’s head opened and her seat, and subsequently herself, was ejected up and out of the cockpit and into the deep blue nothingness of space.

They all watched, not even bothering to try starting up a chase, as Lotor’s ship sailed away into the distance.

 _“Well there goes our bargaining chip,”_ Zethrid gritted out. _“We’re as dead as Lotor.”_

 _“What do we do now?”_ Ezor cried.

Acxa had already begun formulating a plan, knew exactly what their next step should be to secure their safety. But for a second, just one selfish second, she closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t help feel the slightest bit relieved at the fact that Lotor got away.

*

Lightyears away, the High Priestess sat in her casting chamber. There were no lights on as per her orders, the only light source being the complicated sigil she sat in the center of. As she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, she could feel the energy surrounding her, every last drop of quintessence present singing through her blood and creating the most beautiful melodies only she could hear.

She had already sensed her druid well before he made himself known.

“High Priestess forgive my intruding, but Naxzela is under attack. Voltron and the Coalition just reclaimed an entire section of the empire.”

Haggar’s eyes remained closed, the singing only growing louder, more beautiful, more intoxicating as she smiled. Everything was coming together, clicking the final piece to the jigsaw puzzle that had been years in the making into place.

She laughed, the sound mixing with the silence mixing with the nothingness mixing with the everything.

“Good,” she rasped and the voices sang.


	7. Keith, Don't You Dare!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the scene you've all been dreading has finally arrived...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters written and published in two consecutive days? More likely than you think (but very unlikely to happen again lol)

For once, everything was going according to plan.

Adam and Coran stood with the galaxy map in front of them, watching as more and more purple areas were eradicated.

“It appears that all the planets we’ve engaged have been pacified, if not totally liberated!” Coran announced.

Adam was just about ready to bring out the space equivalent to champagne he’d found tucked away in the kitchen cabinets when an alarm went off.

“I knew it was too good to be true,” he sighed. “Coran, what’s going on?”

Coran frowned, scanning the diagram. “It seems there’s another Galra battlecruiser approaching Naxzela.”

“Another? But Voltron’s just about taken out all the fleets in that sector?” Adam asked.

Coran pointed out the approaching ship to Adam on the galaxy map. Adam clicked on it, dragging it to the side so it popped up as a separate window and enlarging it to get a better view.

It was unlike any of the other battlecruisers they’d fought before – definitely higher class and with a strange attachment on the front Adam couldn’t parse out the need for.

He could hear the rebels and Blades’ chatter over the comms in the background, both listing off the sectors as they cleared them using the zaiforge canons.

 _“Sector Zarnium L4 is clear,”_ Matt said. _“Let me see if I can get a line on that battlecruiser – woah, hey!”_

Adam looked up at the exclamation. “What, what’s wrong?”

 _“The canon’s been completely shut down!”_ Matt explained.

“Zaiforge canon Senfama, are you still operational?” Adam asked, already fearing the answer.

There was a grunt and then Keith replied, _“Negative.”_

“That incoming battlecruiser must have shut them down remotely,” Coran said, pinching the tip of his moustache between his fingers with a frown. His ears were flicked back, eyes zeroed in on Naxzela’s diagram.

 _“Sorry, Shiro, that’s it for artillery support. What should we do about that cruiser?”_ Keith asked.

 _“That cruiser’s gonna be too late,”_ Shiro said, _“Naxzela is almost secure. We just need to take out the last of the heavy artillery and then – Pidge, on your left!”_

Adam could hear the sound of an ion cannon beam hitting Voltron’s shield. The sound didn’t make him jump like it used it, but there was still that small jerk of terror that maybe Voltron hadn’t put their shield up in time. But then there was the familiar high-pitched whine of Hunk’s shoulder cannon powering up, and the resounding explosions, Adam knew, were Voltron successfully polishing off the last of Naxzela’s artillery.

Coran, however, was still eyeing the diagram worriedly, his moustache starting to poof up a little. Adam wanted to tell him not to worry, that things were still going according to plan, it’s nearly over, _don’t worry_.

But something in his chest told him that that would be a lie.

*

“This is the most devastating attack on the Empire in ten thousand years!”

“We left ourselves vulnerable. Now we face overwhelming resistance. We should –”

Haggar did not listen. She was watching the multiple screens, all open on different Galra-occupied territories, as the Voltron Coalition took back what had seemed so securely in the Empire’s grasp merely vargas before.

“Do we attack now, or do we await orders from Emperor Zarkon?”

“Lord Zarkon is busy leading the hunt for Lotor,” Haggar said, “We can handle this on our own.” Even with her back to the two commanding generals behind her, she could still sense their doubt. Her lips ticked slightly.

“Stay on course for Naxzela.”

*

Betrayed. Lotor had been betrayed by his own generals, probably the closest thing he had to a family in decaphoebs.

All because of that damned witch.

He should have realized sooner, should have figured out right away how she was using Narti’s connection to Kova to spy on them. If only he’d taken Acxa with him instead. Then none of this would have happened.

The look in Acxa’s eyes as she’d aimed her gun at him…

Lotor shook his head, clearing his thoughts. There was no point in dwelling in the past. Losing Acxa and his other’s generals’ support was a devastating blow, he’d admit. But it was still something he’d always accounted for, just in case. You could never be too sure. Loyalty and trust could truly only get you so far.

Setting his course for one of the more remote areas of space this side of the galaxy, Lotor sat back in his seat and took a deep, steadying breath. He needed to keep his mind sharp and eyes peeled if he wanted to survive the next few hours.

Little did he know that he’d flown right past a deep-space beacon planted by his father millennia ago, alerting him to his exact location.

He barely had time to register the fighter jet’s presence before the first shot rang out.

Lotor snarled. Grabbing the controls, he swerved, avoiding the laser fire beginning to rain down upon him.

The beauty of his sincline ships was in their manoeuvrability. Unlike the standard-issue Galra fighter jets, clunky and rigid in shape, Lotor’s sincline ship was able to twist and turn, the joints loose and easy to manipulate so that he could easily dodge attacks while maintaining an exemplary speed. Galra fighter jets had to sacrifice one for the other during battles. Lotor had to sacrifice neither.

There were five of them on his tail which were quickly downed to three as Lotor gained enough ground to turn around and take aim at the two nearest ships. His ship twisted back around, and he continued surging on, the three remaining jets trying to keep up. One had managed to round him while he’d been turned around and was heading straight towards him while the two behind him kept him moving forward.

Lotor grinned.

At the very last second, he pulled away from the jet about to smack into him, causing it to instead crash into its two brothers behind him.

Done and dusted. His father would have to try much harder than that if he wanted to even gain the chance at capturing him.

Not even a minute out, however, and Lotor’s scanners showed that a battalion of battlecruisers was following his trail, including his father’s. They were gaining on him.

Lotor put in a sequence of buttons, scanning out ahead for any planets or structures that could provide cover. His scanners came back with the perfect solution.

Putting in the co-ordinates and upping his speed to the maximum level, Lotor flew towards his bid for freedom.

Nevera 5 was an unstable star and the raging solar flares were nothing in comparison to the complications he was about to face.

He edged his way closer and closer to the star’s orbit. He’d need to do this incrementally in order for his plan to work.

The troop of fighter jets that had gained on him were already succumbing to the heat, one after another exploding like firecrackers.

Lotor could feel the heat from the star begin to seep into the cockpit, sweat gathering at his temples and on his lower back. He gritted his teeth, breathing deeply and trying not to fidget too much in his seat from the uncomfortable feeling of melting leather.

This ship was built for travelling between realities, of course it could sustain more damage than any of his father’s ships could. But that didn’t stop the unbearable searing heat of the star from nearly overwhelming all of his senses.

But still, he kept inching lower and lower, for every tiny increment closer to the star’s orbit provided a slither of extra distance between him and his father’s fleet of battlecruisers.

By now, the radiation would have started wreaking havoc on their navigation systems and soon, their engines would begin to fail. His father was stubborn, but even he feared for his life above anyone else’s.

Lotor wasn’t surprised that it took three battlecruisers literally being torn apart before his father finally decided to pull back.

Lotor held fast just a little longer where he was, tipping on the very fine line of nearly going down as his enemies had. When there was sufficient distance between him and his father’s idling battlecruiser, he finally pulled up and out of the danger zone.

He laughed in triumph, twisting in his seat to look up to the second pilot’s chair. “Acxa did you see –”

He stopped. Ah. Noone’s there.

Lotor swivelled back to face the front, face schooled into a carefully neutral expression even though no one was there to see him.

He hadn’t felt this alone in a long, long time.

*

They were barely on the outskirts of planet Naxzela’s star system when Haggar called for the ship to halt.

“Stop the ship and hold this position. We’re close enough to Naxzela now.”

She turned her back to the screens still showing Voltron’s invasion, walking towards the exit of the bridge without so much as a nod to either of the commanders even as they spat out their doubts and supposedly good suggestions.

“Close enough for what? Voltron’s captured the planet and there’s no way for us to attack from this position!”

“We need to get every available ship and get ready for the fight of our lives!”

Haggar didn’t pay either of them attention, leaving the bridge and their useless selves behind her.

She headed for her chambers, one of her druids waiting outside the door.

“Make sure no one disturbs my ritual until Naxzela is destroyed,” she ordered.

The druid bowed his head. “Vrepit sa.”

She did not need to turn on the lights to see where she was going. As soon as she stepped foot onto her sigil, it lit up, the deep rich purple casting her and her four chosen druids in heavenly light.

She stopped in the center and raised a single finger, beckoning the druids forward. Each kneeled at the four points of her sigil, their hands touching the markings, energy surging through the floor and to Haggar, providing the grounding she required. All her attention was needed elsewhere.

Slowly, she lifted her hands, crackling whips of electrical current running from below her feet and rising along with her hands until it was all gathered together in a beautiful pulsing ball of light above her head. Picturing Naxzela clearly in her mind, Haggar channelled the thrumming energy through her and forward.

“Awake Naxzela!” she chanted.

The ball of light began pulsing steadily, shock waves erupting through it and into the inner mechanisms of the ship. She could feel the energy slowly making its way through the ship as if it were her own blood pumping through her veins.

She knew the moment Naxzela’s core was awakened, and she laughed. This was going to be oh so _very_ satisfying to witness.

*

Just as Haggar’s ritual was beginning to take place, Voltron was in his final moments of the battle, preparing to leave Naxzela now that most of its artillery was destroyed beyond repair.

Voltron had just landed on his feet after downing another battlecruiser when the earth shook beneath them.

 _“Woah, did we cause that earthquake?”_ Lance exclaimed.

 _“Uh, I don’t think so,”_ Pidge replied, though she sounded unsure.

Shiro held fast to Black’s controls, Blue and Yellow widening their stance as the earth continued to shake and rumble beneath their feet. An alarm had started going off in all of their cockpits.

 _“Guys, look over there!”_ Hunk cried.

Shiro turned Voltron’s head to look over his shoulder at where Hunk had indicated, all of them watching as a ginormous pillar began to rise up from the ground. It was gargantuan, scaling to a dizzying height so far up, Shiro couldn’t tell when it stopped and when the sky started.

It was joined by another. And another, and another, more pillars appearing out from hidden panels in the ground. They were interspersed evenly all around them, and with this much tectonic activity going on below them, he had a feeling they were appearing over every inch of the surface of the planet.

Lance’s voice shook as he said, _“Guys, what are those?”_

 _“I don’t know,”_ Pidge replied breathlessly, _“We’ve never seen anything like this from the Galra before.”_

 _“Are they weapons?”_ Hunk asked.

 _“They look like some sort of generators,”_ Pidge corrected.

Shiro gritted his teeth, fingers flexing on Black’s controls. “Stay alert.”

 _“I say we get out of here!”_ Lance said. _“Pidge, plot a course for our escape!”_

Shiro was about to give his agreement when he froze. The words… they just stopped. What –

_Stay._

Oh, that’s right. He remembered now what he was going to say, “Hold on, we should find out what these things are.”

Lance clucked his tongue but didn’t argue.

_Good._

They watched as purple whips of energy began sputtering to life from the top of each pillar. Shiro held his breath, watching as a dense purple forcefield began spreading across the sky, connecting from one pillar to another, and causing everything to be cast in a deep purple glow.

 _“Shiro, I do not like the look of this!”_ Hunk cried out.

Allura let out a small gasp. _“Do you feel that?”_

 _“Feel what?”_ Pidge asked.

 _“That wave of darkness,”_ Allura replied, like it was obvious.

Shiro frowned. The only thing he could feel was their Lions’ connection and the thrumming of the generators. What was Allura on about?

Just then, the first wave hit.

A horrible crushing sensation swept over them all, the Paladins crying out.

 _“I can’t move Red!”_ Lance gritted out.

 _“Yellow won’t budge either!”_ Hunk said.

There was a lurching sensation in Shiro’s stomach as Voltron was brought to his knees. Red and Green stuck Voltron’s hands out just in time before he was brought to his stomach, though they struggled to hold their position on all fours against the crushing weight of whatever was pulling them down.

 _“This energy field is holding us down!”_ Pidge exclaimed. _“Gravity levels are spiking!”_

Shiro rolled back his shoulders, fighting against the dizzy spell that was starting to blur the edges of his vision.

“W-we have to get out of here. If we stay here, we’ll be crushed. Everyone, we have to focus. Give everything you got and maybe we can fight through this energy field! Ready?”

Everyone yelled their consent, the five of them working together to get Voltron back up on his feet. It was slow going, but with the power of Black, Yellow and Blue’s jets, they were up and flying through the air, heading towards the forcefield in the sky.

For a split second, Shiro thought they were going to make it, he really did, but then gravity kicked in and they were hurtling back down, down, down. Voltron landed hard on his back, the wind getting knocked out of Shiro from the impact.

He sputtered and coughed, breathing air back into his lungs before yelling, “Is anyone else able to move around?”

 _“Barely, but the gravitational pull is worse on Voltron,”_ Pidge replied.

Shiro let go of Black controls, checking his range of movement. It was difficult but he was mostly free to move as he needed.

 _“Maybe if we go down to the surface, Hunk and I can figure out a way to interrupt this energy field!”_ Pidge proposed.

 _“Yeah, that sounds good except for the zillion of Galra bot dudes still kicking around down there!”_ exclaimed Lance.

Shiro took a steadying breath, blinking back the last of the dizziness. “We’re gonna have to stay in tight formation. Watch each other’s backs.” He stood from his seat, starting out of the cockpit. “Let’s move!”

Using their jetpacks, Shiro and the rest of the Paladins exited their Lions, coming together in a loose formation towards the edge of the cliff Voltron was pinned down on. The Galra droids opened fire on them, Lance shooting back to give them some cover as they leapt off the edge of the cliff and jetpacked to the nearest generator. There was a small lip near a door that had just enough space for them all to fit. Everyone raised their shields, blocking the droids laser fire.

“Pidge, Hunk, do your thing!” Shiro ordered.

Pidge and Hunk got to work, scanning the door and working together, Pidge gathering data while Hunk tried to hack his way into the system to open the door for them.

“This rod seems to go all the way down into the planet’s core,” Pidge called out. “But I’m not detecting any kind of energy source from the planet that could be causing all of this!”

“Then we’ll need to follow it down to the core!” Allura said.

There was a series of beeps and then the quiet _whoosh_ of the doors sliding open.

“It’s open, let’s go!” Hunk said.

Everyone crowded through the entryway, shields still raised to block the last of the laser fire as they filed into the rod. None of them hesitated, leaping off the platform and further down still into the dark abyss that would lead them to the core.

The energy field didn’t seem to be having any effect on them in here, allowing them to move more freely, jetpacks fully operational to regulate the speed they dropped.

Once everyone had landed at the bottom, Pidge used the map she’d scanned into her gauntlet to lead the way to the core. Making easy work of the locks, Hunk and Pidge opened the doors for them, revealing a circular chamber. In its center was a giant ball of purple light. It was just slightly too bright to look at directly, Shiro having to shield his eyes from the blinding light.

“What is that?” Lance asked in awe, him and the rest of the team walking down the few steps that lead to the platform surrounding the ball.

“This must be Zarkon’s witch’s doing,” Allura explained. “The energy I felt… this is the source.”

Shiro took in their surroundings, frowning when he recognized the structures.

“Allura, this facility… it looks Altean.”

“I’m afraid you’re correct Shiro. This is a de-commissioned Altean terraforming plant. Somehow the witch has been able to re-activate it remotely.”

Allura neared what Shiro now guessed was the plant’s generator in the center of the room. As they neared, a searing heat began to build, causing sweat to gather at his temples.

“Can you shut it down?” he asked Allura.

“I can try.”

Carefully, Allura raised her hand, reaching towards the generator. Pale blue light began to blossom in her palm, but it was quickly enveloped by a shock of purple energy shooting out from the generator.

Allura gasped in pain, her body beginning to convulse.

“Allura!” Lance yelled, reaching for her and trying to pull her away from the generator. It was like she was rooted to the spot, her connection with the generator keeping her there. Everyone grabbed a hold of her, pulling with all their might. The energy from the generator was conducted through Allura and into all their bodies as well, causing pain to spasm through Shiro’s muscles.

He hadn’t experienced such pain like this in so long.

_When was the last time I felt this?_

With another strong tug thanks to Hunk, they finally managed to wrench Allura away from the generator, everyone falling back hard onto the floor.

Shiro’s right arm twitched and spasmed of its own accord, shivers wracking down his spine. He groaned in pain, flexing his hand to try to gain control back. After doing that for a bit, the pain died down, the spasming slowly stopping.

Shiro looked about, taking stock of everyone else. Pidge was curled in on herself, breathing deeply to regulate her own shivers, Hunk hunched on all fours as he blinked heavily, shaking his head. Lance was cradling Allura to his chest.

“Are you okay?” Lance rasped out.

Allura nodded, sitting up properly. She looked up at the generator, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry, it was too powerful –”

“It’s okay,” Shiro started when Hunk gave a low groan.

He’d sat back on his haunches, looking at something in his palm.

“This soil is weird,” Hunk murmured, “So white and powdery… like ground-up rocks, earth and – Oh my Stars, hexamite!”

Just then, a new wave of shots was fired. Shiro immediately pulled up his shield, Allura and Pidge doing the same while Lance and Hunk called upon their bayards, returning fire against the droids that had followed them down.

“What’s hexamite?” Lance asked over the noise of laser fire, “Some of us may or may not have slept through Chemistry!”

“The whole planet is a bomb!” Pidge explained. “One that’s big enough to wipe out several solar systems!”

“It’s under increasing pressure and when the pressure reaches a certain point, it’s going to explode,” Hunk finished off.

Shiro gritted his teeth. Why had he made them stay here? “How long do we have?”

“Maybe twenty minutes?” Hunk replied.

Lance knocked down droids with one shot, but they were quickly replaced by another two. “We have to get off this planet and warn everybody!”

“Anyone within ten solar systems of us is going to get blown to pieces!” Hunk wailed. Shiro could hear the increasing panic in his voice, no doubt his nerves from the mission and now the chance of Naxzela exploding only building up his anxiety.

“They could take out Voltron, the rebels and the Blades of Marmora in one fell swoop,” Allura said, “We need to leave. Now!”

Altogether, they activated their jetpacks, leaping across the gap between the circular platforms surrounding the generator and scrabbling their way to the next exit just a door over, dodging the droids’ continued laser fire.

As they started their ascent towards the surface once more, Shiro couldn’t help but agonize over every decision that had led them to this. The invasion was his idea, the rebels, the Blades, Matt, Keith, _everyone_ was in danger because of him.

 _Why did I make us stay?_ he asked himself over and over but for the life of him, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

*

Keith wished he could have had a little more time with the cannon. It really had been an amazing weapon in their arsenal, and now without having anything to do, he was starting to feel antsy.

“Coran, are there any targets that need support?” he asked.

 _“I haven’t heard of anyone needing help,”_ Coran replied.

 _“I don’t want to jinx it, but things do seem to be going smoothly,”_ Adam added.

Coran hummed. _“That Galra fleet heading towards Naxzela has stopped funnily enough.”_

“Stopped?” Keith questioned.

Coran hummed again. _“Yes, quite a distance away too.”_

 _“Wait, when did that happen?”_ Adam questioned, sounding alarmed.

 _“About twenty doboshes ago, why?”_ Coran asked.

“Perhaps the Galra decided it’s too fortified to attack,” Kolivan pondered aloud, but Keith could hear in his voice that even he didn’t fully believe that to be the case.

“Victory or death is the Galra way,” Keith said slowly, trying to piece it together. “They’d never stop attacking.”

There was a quiet gasp, Adam blurting out, _“Voltron! Coran, what’s their status?”_

Keith pulled up their video chat, opening the window so he could see the galaxy map Coran and Adam were viewing. He didn’t bother looking at the green areas, he knew the invasion itself was going smoothly. His eyes locked on Naxzela’s diagram. It was surrounded by waves of pulsing orange lines that hadn’t been there before.

Adam was calling out to Shiro, trying to get through to Voltron. None of the Paladins were answering.

“Something’s wrong…” Keith murmured.

 _“Paladins? Allura, what’s happened?”_ Coran tried, but there was still nothing.

Adam was pacing in front of the map, his eyes locked on Naxzela, same as Keith. From the distance of the camera, Keith couldn’t make out the waves of data popping up alongside the diagram. Adam’s eyes darted as he speed-read through the information.

“It must be the magnetic distortion coming from Naxzela,” he explained.

Keith closed the video, a plan already forming. “I’m gonna check it out but I need a ship. A fast one.”

Kolivan pointed to something just over the lip of the staircase. Keith looked down and spotted a Galra fighter jet parked down below.

“Perfect.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Kolivan said. “Go.”

Keith didn’t need telling twice.

Having piloted one before, Keith was able to quickly check the diagnostics and get the jet up and into the air before the rest of the Blades had even made it down the last of the stairs.

He set his co-ordinates for the battlecruiser just outside Naxzela while opening up his comms link with Matt.

“Matt, something’s wrong, we can’t reach Voltron.”

_“Adam was just filling me in, yeah. Should we fly to Naxzela to check on them?”_

“No, I need your help,” Keith said. “I can’t explain why but I know we need to attack that fleet.”

 _“I thought the fleet had stopped?”_ Matt asked.

 _“Which is exactly why we need to check it out,”_ said Adam.

“We think it has something to do with Voltron,” Keith explained.

There wasn’t even need of a discussion amongst the rebels. _“We’re with you,”_ Matt said.

Keith smiled despite the circumstances. “Good to have you along.”

 _“I’m coming too!”_ Adam proclaimed.

Keith frowned. “What?” But Adam wasn’t listening.

_“Coran, please tell me we have some form of fighter jet here in the Castle?”_

_“Uh, I’m afraid that’s a negative, Adam,”_ Coran said apologetically. _“But we can try to fly the Castle there to meet up with the others, though it may take longer, we haven’t got enough of Allura’s energy left to use the teleduv –”_

“No,” Keith said, firm, “Stay in position. We might need you back there.”

Adam’s face popped up on a screen to Keith’s left. He did not look happy. It was the same look he’d give Keith or Shiro before he was about to rage into a discipline talk.

 _“If you think I’m just going to sit back and wait –”_ Adam started.

“You’re not sitting around, you’re our last line of defense,” Keith argued. “And that means maintaining distance and ensuring you don’t become compromised before then.”

Adam’s mouth opened and closed, no words coming out as he tried to come up with a counterargument. Keith knew he wouldn’t be able to.

Adam huffed, blowing a piece of fringe out of his eyes in irritation. _“I really hate it when you’re right.”_

“I know,” Keith said, trying to keep his sarcasm to a minimum. “I’ll keep in comms the whole way. You guys keep trying to get through to Voltron, let us know if their status changes at all.”

Adam gave a mock salute before closing the video chat. _“Aye aye, Captain.”_

*

He was waiting for a sign.

Don’t get him wrong, Lotor wasn’t one for superstition. Channelling into the Galra radio waves had been easier than should be permitted, allowing him access to listen to his own man hunt and their movements.

_“Fighter squadron zel fourteen, report in.”_

_“Nothing here. No sign of Lotor on this side. Moving to zone femerol seventy-one.”_

_“Copy that. Fighter squadron zel fifteen, report in.”_

Lotor’s eyes began to flutter shut. He’d been on the run without any sleep for over a day, minus the varga he’d been unconscious from Acxa’s blast. He was still listening, though only with half an ear at this point.

_“Zel fifteen here, no sign of Lotor. Moving to zone nebula fifty-five.”_

_“Negative, zel fifteen, that zone is restricted.”_

Lotor’s eyes shot wide open. He sat up in his seat, reaching for the volume dial.

_“I repeat, zone nebula four through sixty-nine are off-limits. We expect a massive detonation that will wipe out everything in that quadrant. Stay out of the area.”_

_“Copy that.”_

“Interesting…” Lotor pondered aloud. What could possibly warrant a detonation that large? If his memory served him, that was the sector planet Naxzela was located. It wasn’t too far from here in fact.

Well, Lotor had been waiting for a sign. Perhaps new allies awaited and would need a hand.

Grabbing his controls, Lotor turned his ship around and set his new course.

*

They’d managed to get back to Voltron unscathed. Shiro was attempting to get back into comms with the Castle but so far nothing had been working.

“Coran? Keith? Adam? Anyone? Hello!” Shiro let out a huff in frustration. “Pidge, can boost our signal?”

_“No, there’s too much electro-static propulsion!”_

There was the sound of someone letting off a low growl. Lance maybe? Shiro wouldn’t blame him if he was angry. He’d been the one to suggest they get out of there before the forcefield was activated. And Shiro had denied him.

 _“Seventeen minutes left!”_ Hunk announced.

 _“We have to get off this planet immediately!”_ Allura cried, apprehension evident in her voice.

Shiro felt Blue shift, Voltron’s feet slowly moving to try to stand up again. They managed to pull Voltron up into a sitting position and had barely gotten on his feet when the overhang they were standing on gave way. The rocks crumbled beneath their feet and Voltron fell down into the shaft below. They managed to land in a crouched position, dust clouds pluming out around them. Looking up at the slither of purple sky they were granted, their chance at escape seemed almost zero to none.

 _“Fifteen minutes!”_ Hunk warned.

 _“No!”_ Pidge yelled, _“We can’t die here! Not yet!”_ There was just as much stubbornness as there was uneasiness in her words.

“Listen,” Shiro said, gathering all their attention, “We’ve come through a lot as Voltron. We just have to think.”

_“Allura!”_

Shiro startled a little at Lance’s exclamation but listened carefully as he began to speak.

“You felt the dark energy when it first started. You have a connection with this magic, I know you can get us out of this somehow. We all saw what you did on the Balmera and how you power the Castle.”

 _“I… I don’t know,”_ Allura said, uncertain, “I haven’t been trained.”

 _“No one trained you to save the Balmera but you did that!”_ Lance praised, _“I know you can do it. There’s a reason the Blue Lion chose you. You’re the one who brought everyone together. You can do this. Every moment we’ve had together, they’ve all lead to this day. This is your destiny. You are the heart of the Voltron.”_

For a moment, everyone held their breath, awaiting Allura’s reply.

There was a quiet sigh and then, _“Okay. I’ll try.”_

 _Well done, Lance,_ Shiro thought, making a mental reminder to tell him properly if – no, _when_ they got out of here.

Everyone waited with bated breath as Allura took a moment to herself, gathering her strength.

At first, there was nothing but then, slowly, a soft, fluttering pulse began to beat inside Shiro’s chest. The other Paladins were feeling it too, he knew without having to ask, and then Voltron became infused with a pale blue shimmer.

Suddenly, the weight of the gravity field dropped away entirely, and Shiro felt as if he could be floating in his seat.

He grinned, grabbing hold of Black’s controls.

He didn’t have to say it, Voltron was already propelling up off the ground and into skyrocketing towards the forcefield.

Red powered up his mouth laser and infused with Allura’s magic, the shot was powerful enough to eat away at the forcefield, allowing them to pass through it easily as if it were made of tissue paper.

Pidge and Hunk were cheering, Shiro smiling there was no tomorrow. He heard Allura give a quiet thanks to Lance who replied, soft, and almost shyly, _“It was all you.”_

As they entered space once more, leaving Naxzela behind, their giddiness from their escape began to fade as reality came knocking.

 _“We’ve still gotta the diffuse the bomb,”_ Hunk said, saying what was already on everyone’s mind.

Shiro didn’t waste time hesitating, calling into their comms link with the Castle as well as Keith.

“Keith, do you copy?”

A video screen popped up with Keith’s face. He let out a relieved sigh upon seeing Shiro.

_“Shiro, where are you? Is everything okay?”_

“Not for long if we don’t stop Zarkon’s witch,” Shiro said, quickly explaining the situation. There was silence on Keith’s end, his face perfectly blank and then –

_“Holy mother fucking stars above all quiznackery!”_

“Adam –”

 _“Swear jar!”_ Pidge called out.

“Pidge now’s not really the time,” Shiro chided.

 _“A bomb?”_ Adam screeched. _“A quiznacking bomb?!”_

“Adam breathe,” Shiro said at the same time Keith deadpanned, _“Stop being dramatic.”_

 _“I’ll stop being dramatic when the lot of you are out of the kill zone!”_ Adam argued.

Shiro rolled his eyes, fondness causing his chest to warm.

 _“Anyway,”_ Keith said, speaking over Adam’s profanities, “The rebels and I have got you covered.”

Another screen popped up on Shiro’s right, Matt offering a quick wave. “Sup!”

“You guys heading for the battlecruiser?” Shiro asked.

 _“Already there,”_ Matt said. _“We’ll try take it down, you guys just focus on getting the hell away from that planet!”_

 _“What the ruggle is that?!”_ a voice cried, Olia maybe.

Matt hummed in concentration; lips pursed to one side as he opened another screen on his side. _“There seems to be some kind of weapon attached to the front of the battlecruiser –”_

_“Evasive maneuvers!”_

Matt swore. _“Imma hang up the vid call, but we’ll stay in comms!”_

Shiro nodded, sharing a quick look with Keith before he too signed off.

_Please, Stars above, let us all make it out of here in one piece._

*

All of Adam’s nails were sufficiently bitten to the quick at this point.

Keith, along with the rebel fighters, were trying to figure out how to take down the battlecruiser’s weapon while Voltron was still far too close to Naxzela for his comfort. And all he could do was watch.

Coran looked worse for wear, his moustache poofed out to nearly triple its size and his usually neatly slicked back hair sticking up in all directions from running his hands through it nervously.

A forcefield similar to the one back on planet Teq’s cannon was up and running, blocking any and all of Keith and the rebel’s attempts at dismantling the weapon. It didn’t help that a flock of Galra fighter jets were also trying to pin them down.

 _“Follow my lead, we’ve gotta break through that shield – Ah!”_ Keith let out a sudden cry. Adam clutched to his station’s desktop, knuckles cracking from the pressure.

“Keith! What happened?”

_“My wing got caught by stray laser fire, my cannons aren’t working anymore!”_

“Then get the hell out of there! If you can’t shoot then you’re good as dead!” Adam yelled.

 _“I’m not leaving my team behind!”_ Keith yelled back.

Adam kicked his station in frustration, savouring the grounding effect the pain caused. He was both simultaneously very proud of Keith right now and absolutely furious at his stubbornness.

 _“Two minutes!”_ cried Hunk, reminding them of the countdown.

 _“We’re not gonna make it!”_ Lance yelled in trepidation.

A diagram of Naxzela popped up on the Castle’s big screen in deep foreboding red. Warning sirens were going off, but all the sounds around Adam seemed to turn fuzzy. He just kept watching the diagram that plotted out the rebel’s movements, the lot of them buzzing around the battlecruiser but still unable to break through its shield.

 _“We’re never gonna penetrate these shields!”_ Matt cried in defeat.

There was a tense silence and then Keith spoke. His voice was eerily calm.

_“Maybe not with our weapons.”_

It shot ice-cold panic straight through Adam’s heart. He watched as Keith’s ship began to back up.

“Keith, what are you doing?” he asked. His voice was shaking so much, he wondered if Keith could even understand what he was saying.

 _“What I have to,”_ Keith replied.

Keith’s ship paused and then it began its descent. It was angled straight for the forcefield and Keith was showing no sign of stopping anytime soon. The realisation hit Adam so hard, he might as well have run face-first into a brick wall.

Keith was going to fly his ship into the forcefield on the very, _very_ , slim chance that it would somehow break through the barrier.

Keith was going to sacrifice himself.

And there was nothing Adam could do to stop him.

He slammed his fist down on his desktop, hard, the pain reverberating up his arm. “KEITH DON’T YOU DARE!”

 _“Tell Lance I’m sorry,”_ Keith said. His voice was shaking. He sounded so small all of a sudden, just like the little kid he’d once been. _“Guess I couldn’t keep my promise after all.”_

Tears were falling down Adam’s cheeks, his chest contracting. It was getting hard to breathe. “Tell him yourself! Stop your quiznacking ship!”

_“Thank you Adam. For everything.”_

“KEITH!”

There was a bright flash on the diagram. Adam blinked the harsh light away, eyes darting about as he took in everything. Keith’s ship was blessedly in one piece, still heading towards the forcefield – only it wasn’t there anymore.

“Keith, pull up!”

Keith’s ship suddenly jerked, stopping in its tracks and pulling away as the last of the explosions died down.

The forcefield was completely destroyed.

Adam blinked up in surprise when the sirens died down. The red of Naxzela melted back into a neutral blue. The bomb had been stopped with literal seconds to spare.

Adam looked to Coran in question. Coran could only shake his head. He looked just as confused as Adam.

 _“What happened?”_ Lance asked, _“We lost you for a second.”_

 _“The bomb’s powered down, did Keith manage to break the forcefield?”_ asked Pidge.

Adam couldn’t reply. He was too busy watching as the Galra battlecruiser entered warp speed and disappeared from the battlefield, leaving a still-whole Keith and the rebel air force behind.

“M-Matt, wh-what’s going?” Adam asked. His whole body was trembling.

_“I – I don’t know! Someone joined the fray. Their cannon totally wiped out the cruiser! But I’ve never seen this ship before. Do you recognize it?”_

Adam selected the newest member to their little band of merry men, zooming in to get a better look at the ship’s design.

He recognized it instantly.

“Why –”

An unknown source locked into their comms signal, opening up a new channel. A voice Adam vaguely recognized began to speak, his tone cool and light as if they were at a tea party rather than the tail end of a major battle.

_“Attention Paladins of Voltron and rebel fighters, I know we’ve had our differences in the past but I think it is time we had a discussion.”_

_“Isn’t that –?”_ Lance started.

“Lotor,” Adam said, confirming his suspicions.

Instantly, the comms link was flooded with voices speaking over each other. He could make out the nervous babbling of Hunk, Lance was talking a mile a minute while Pidge and Matt were discussing something entirely off-topic. It was Allura’s voice who rang through, silencing the rest of them.

_“Prince Lotor.”_

_“The one and only,”_ Lotor drawled.

_“You may enter the Castleship.”_

“Allura what the fuck!?” Adam yelled.

_“Let me finish!”_

Adam’s mouth snapped shut. He huffed but said nothing more.

 _“Once you have landed your ship in our docking bay you will be taken prisoner and kept under strict lockdown until further notice,”_ Allura said. Her tone gave no room for discussion.

Lotor must have realized this too. _“As you wish. I shall do as you say.”_

_“Good. Matt, rebel squad, please escort the prisoner. We’ll reconvene on the Castleship for the debriefing as planned. Adam, wait until backup arrives before approaching Lotor. I am not risking anything.”_

“Yes, Princess,” Adam said, subdued and suddenly exhausted.

_“Alright then, now that that’s settled, everyone, we’ll see you soon. Over and out.”_

The comms links shut off one after the other. All Adam could do was stare at the empty space where the galaxy map had once been.

“Adam?”

Adam blinked rapidly, taking in a lungful of air. It felt like he hadn’t breathed in years.

“Adam, are you alright?” Coran asked quietly.

“Honestly, Coran, I don’t know,” Adam replied. His voice was eerily calm, just as Keith’s had been before he’d tried to –

“The Blades from Keith’s mission have arrived back first. I just spoke with Allura and she agreed that with them as backup, we can go wait for Lotor in the hangar bay. Unless you’d rather stay –”

“No, I’m coming,” Adam said. He couldn’t stay here. He needed a distraction, needed to be doing _something_ before he fell down the mental spiral that had already begun building up.

“Alright, if you’re sure…” Coran said.

Adam nodded. He patted his belt, making sure his laser pistols were still there before following after Coran.

Kolivan and his troop of Blades were waiting for them in the hangar bay.

“I trust the Kit is safe?” Kolivan asked in lieu of a hello.

Adam could only offer a stiff nod. Kolivan took that as answer enough.

The silence was deafening while they waited for the others to arrive. Voltron was furthest out, while Matt and his party were a little closer. Keith would be with them too.

Adam’s chest constricted at the thought.

It was another ten agonizing minutes of silent waiting before the first rebel ship landed.

Rebel fighters piled out of their ships, chattering genially amongst themselves. A few hugged upon seeing each other. The last two ships, Matt’s and Rolo’s, arrived shortly after, flanking Lotor. The rebel’s chatter died down as Lotor landed his ship. Adam could make out his vague shape through the glass of the cockpit. Even though the Paladins had battled him all those months ago when they were still a mess of new pilots in different Lions, they’d never actually seen the prince himself.

Lotor remained seated, his ship powering down as Matt and the last of the rebels filed out of their ships.

Adam didn’t even realise he’d started walking until he was face-to-face with Matt.

The first thing he asked was, “Where’s Keith?”

“He’s just a bit behind,” Matt explained. “His ship took a lot of damage. He said he’s a minute out.”

Adam nodded stiffly before turning his focus on Lotor’s ship. “Who’s got handcuffs?”

Coran stepped forward, offering them to Adam. “Do I need to explain?”

“No, I know,” Adam said. He’d familiarized himself with them way back when they first arrived on the Castle. It had provided ample distraction from Shiro back then.

“Right,” Adam said, voice suddenly unwavering. “Matt, Kolivan, if you would.”

Kolivan and Matt stepped forward, gun and blade on hand as Lotor popped open the cockpit’s lid. There was a flash of white as Lotor jumped down from his seat, landing nimbly, near-silently, on his feet. There was a quiet murmuring as he straightened up.

Adam hated that the first thought that came to mind upon seeing Lotor’s face was _handsome_. His lilac skin was smooth, free of fur unlike most of the Galra Adam had come to know. His ears were long and pointed like an Altean’s, his eyes keen and sharp. His pupils were visible, revealing startling purple irises. He towered over most of them, a good head and a half taller than Adam, with a lean but sturdy build and long athletic limbs. His hair was as pale as moonlight, falling well past his waistline.

As Adam approached him, he offered up his hands. His smile was wicked sharp.

“Well aren’t you complacent,” Adam muttered as he snapped the cuffs over Lotor’s wrists.

“And what a pleasure it is to meet you as well,” Lotor drawled.

Adam drew a single pistol, sticking the nuzzle into Lotor’s lower back. “Get a move on.”

“Tetchy, aren’t we,” Lotor purred.

Did this man not know how to speak normally? Or at least less irksome.

Matt caught Adam’s eye as they began making their way down to the Castle’s high-security prison vaults. There were standard prison cells in some the lower levels, but below that, you would find more advanced holding cells. They were deep in the underbelly of the Castle, their small group having to travel several flights down the elevator before reaching the catwalk leading up to the cell.

The cell itself held only the suggestion of a bed in the form of a thinly cushioned metal bench and lavatory facilities off to one side.

Once they were in the center of the cell, Adam released Lotor’s cuffs, stepping back quickly so he could raise the shield. Lotor made no move to stop him, idly rubbing his wrists where the cuffs at dug into his skin. Adam may or may not have made them a bit tighter than strictly necessary.

“When might I have the pleasure of speaking to the Princess?” Lotor asked.

“When she deems you worthy of her attention,” Adam snarked. He turned sharply on his heel, about to follow Matt and Kolivan back towards the elevator when Lotor called out, “I must say, your reputation precedes you, Adam.”

Adam froze.

Matt caught his arm, trying to tug him forward. “Don’t listen, Adam.”

Adam knew Matt was right, Stars, he knew but something made him turn back anyway so he could face Lotor properly.

“And what, pray tell, is my reputation?”

Lotor was sat primly on his cot, one knee crossed over the other, back ramrod straight. It was the perfect shadow of Allura’s own perfectly-placed posture whenever she sat at the dinner table.

“Perhaps another time,” Lotor said breezily, “When you’re in a better mood. I’d hate for us to get off on the wrong foot, so to speak.”

Adam sucked on his teeth but bit back the quip he already had prepared. He hated to admit it, but Lotor was right. He wasn’t in the right headspace and even though he’d love to take his anger out on him, he wasn’t going to give Lotor that satisfaction.

Adam said nothing as he turned on his heel and stormed up the catwalk, Matt right behind him. Kolivan was waiting for them at the elevator, the doors already open.

It was only once the doors were sealed shut and they were halfway back up to the surface that Adam acted out. He punched the wall. Then kicked it as well for good measure.

Matt stood awkwardly to one side, giving him space, his fingers fidgeting with his belt.

When Adam had had enough, he took a step back and closed his eyes. He released a shaky sigh and when he finally opened his eyes again it was to find an anxious-looking Matt and a stony-faced Kolivan.

“Are you quite done?” Kolivan asked.

“Yes, I think so,” Adam said. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t strangle Keith before I at least heard what he had to say for himself.”

“Yeah, about that…” Matt said. His eyes darted to Kolivan. “Um… do the Blades often, uh –”

“Sacrifice themselves to save the mission?” Adam spat out.

“Yes,” Kolivan answered coolly.

“Alrighty then…” Matt said. When no one made a move to say anymore, he began rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, whistling an awkward tune for the rest of their journey up.

*

Keith couldn’t stop shaking.

He’d landed in the Castle’s hangar bay a few minutes ago already, his ship’s engine sputtering out its last bit of energy before dying for good. The engine was still releasing a weak stream of smoke into the air.

The cockpit stank of sick, Keith having lost control of his stomach sometime during the flight back to the Castle. He’d somehow managed not to mess on himself at least.

When he’d jumped down from the jet, his knees had given out. It was only thanks to a nearby rebel that he didn’t collapse to the floor.

Once he’d assured the rebel that yes, he could stand on his own, no, I’m alright, thanks for asking, he started looking about the hangar, eyes searching for a familiar head of brown hair.

“They’re not back yet.”

Keith startled as Coran appeared at his side from seemingly out of nowhere.

“O-oh?”

Coran nodded. “Hm, Adam and Matt are still busy securing Lotor in his cell.”

“Ah… And La- I mean the Paladins?”

“Still en route,” Coran replied, a single bushy orange eyebrow arching in question.

Keith nodded numbly, not meeting Coran’s eye.

Coran looked like he wanted to say more, but Olia caught his attention, asking for something Keith couldn’t really make out. Everything was starting to fade in and out as the thoughts he’d been suppressing started dancing circles in his head.

_Why did I do that? Why did I think it would work? It wouldn’t have worked so why did you do it? Why? Why? What made you do it? You know what made you do it – but why? Why? Why why why whywhywhywhywhy –_

He was snapped out of his funk when he felt a pair of strong arms snake around him. Keith stiffened, reaching for his blade, but upon realizing who it was, stopped himself.

Adam had dragged him into a bone-crushing hug, Keith getting the air squeezed out of him. He was just starting to melt into Adam’s embrace when Adam pulled back and smacked him upside the head.

“What the fuck were you thinking?!”

“Hello to you too,” Keith said, rubbing his head with a wince.

Adam barked out a harsh laugh. “Oh no. No, no, no, you don’t get to sass me. Not after pulling a stunt like that!”

“Adam, I –”

Adam smooshed a finger against Keith’s lips, stopping him before he could get a word in edgewise.

“Shut up. I’m going to chew you out and you’re going to listen.”

Keith nodded, teeth latching onto his lower lip to chew on nervously as soon as Adam' withdrew his finger. His thumb was already starting to rub along his index finger, the motion that was usually soothing doing nothing to calm his nerves now.

Adam was fuming. Keith didn’t even have to look at him to feel the anger coming off him in heavy waves. He wasn’t surprised. He knew he’d have to face Adam eventually after what he tried to do.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Adam said. “I mean, honestly, Keith, were you even thinking at all?”

“I –”

“Uh! I’m not done!”

Keith clamped his mouth shut. He ducked his head, hiding behind his bangs.

“I just… I – ugh! Stars, I mean, Keith? You could have _died_. No, sorry, scratch that – _would have died_ if quiznacking _Lotor_ hadn’t swanned in and saved your ass! I don’t care whatever the fuck Marmora city thinks about the mission mattering more than your life. Shiro taught you better than that!”

Keith swallowed thickly. He could feel everyone’s eyes on them, watching as Adam’s voice only grew louder the longer he ranted. He hunched in on himself, tugging on the end of his braid as his eyes kept darting between Adam and the floor.

However, Adam started losing steam, his words softening until it was quiet enough for only the two of them to hear.

“I mean, Stars, Keith, can you even begin to comprehend what this would have done to me if you’d gone through with it?”

Keith tilted his head, meeting Adam in the eye for the first time. He was shocked to find Adam blinking back tears, his glasses fogged up, coffee-brown irises blown wide.

“I – I can’t lose you too, Keith,” Adam whimpered. The tears were falling now, Adam taking off his glasses to wipe at his eyes. “Not you too.”

Keith stumbled forward, arms wrapping snugly around Adam’s shaking shoulders. Adam rested his forehead on Keith's shoulder, arms snaked around his waist, holding him close.

They just stood there, holding one another and swaying slightly. It was probably the longest hug Keith had ever had.

Adam was the first to pull back, though not without giving Keith one last quick squeeze. His eyes were red and puffy, tear stains streaking down his cheeks.

He framed Keith’s face with his hands, bringing their faces so close they were nose-to-nose. His voice was startlingly serious as he whispered, “Don’t ever scare me like that again, you little.”

Keith sputtered out a nervous laugh, nodding. “I won’t.”

“Good,” Adam said. Giving Keith’s cheek a soft pat, he released him, stepping back.

Keith felt drained after Adam's rant, but also lighter somehow. He knew this wasn’t going to be the last he heard of this, but at least Adam didn’t seem too angry anymore. Now he just had to deal with the rest of the team...

“KEITH!”

Keith turned just in time for Lance to barrel right into him, the two of them staggering and nearly falling to the floor if Adam hadn’t caught them.

“L-Lance?” Keith sputtered.

“Oh man, I’m so glad you’re safe!” Lance said. He was clutching Keith tightly against his chest, his chin hooked over Keith’s shoulder. His breath tickled the side of his neck, causing a shiver to run down his spine.

Belatedly, he raised his arms, returning Lance’s hug.

“Same,” Keith replied weakly.

Lance pulled back, Keith sighing slightly at the loss of contact, but Lance remained close, his hands resting easily on Keith’s hips as if they were always meant to be there. Keith’s skin tingled at the contact.

“Oh man, I seriously thought we were goners for a second, you know?” Lance said, his eyes dancing over Keith’s face. It took him a moment to realize he was looking for any signs of injury. Before Keith had left for the Blades, when he could still have the honour of calling Lance his right-hand man, they’d go through this exact routine after every battle; Lance clucking his tongue as he poked and prodded, making sure Keith hadn’t sustained any injuries and Keith returning the gesture, out of concern but mostly to give Lance a taste of his own medicine.

Somehow, this time felt different from the others. More… intimate. As Lance checked him over, his hands remained on Keith’s hips, thumbs stroking in a soothing motion. Lance was so close; Keith could count his freckles if he wanted to. Unconsciously, his eyes dropped to the small heart-shaped freckle on Lance’s cheek, the one he’d always been self-conscious about for some strange reason. Keith couldn’t understand why. It was beautiful. _Lance_ was beautiful.

Stars, Keith wanted to kiss him.

The moment was ruined, however, when someone screeched, "INCOMING!”

That yell was their only warning before Pidge came flying at them, thin boney arms trapping them in a three-way hug. Hunk was hot on her heels and quick to grapple all three of them into a bear hug of his own, lifting them all off their feet at once.

“Hi guys,” Keith rasped, chuckling.

Once Hunk had safely placed them back on their feet, Pidge wound back a fist and punched Keith hard in the arm.

“Ow! What the heck?” Keith cried, clutching his arm.

“That’s for not coming to visit us sooner,” Pidge said with a smirk. Her left fist flying out of nowhere, knocking Keith in the stomach and causing him to double over with a small _oof!_

“What was that for?” Keith gasped.

“For texting Lance so much. I swear you two might as well be dating at this point!”

It was obviously meant as a joke, even Keith could tell, but that didn’t stop his face from going up in flames.

Lance gave an awkward cough, his gaze suddenly turned to his boots as if they were the most fascinating things he’d ever seen.

A large hand came to rest on Keith’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “We just missed man, that’s all,” Hunk said.

Keith smiled up at him. “I missed you guys too.”

“Aw don’t tell me I missed the family group hug?”

Keith immediately brightened upon hearing that voice. “Shiro!”

Shiro and Allura, along with Coran, had finally made their way over to their small group. Allura’s eyebrows were knitted, her gaze a bit far off, but upon seeing Keith, her apprehension seemed to melt, a dazzling smile taking over her face.

“Keith! It’s good to see you!”

“Same to you,” Keith replied, giving her a quick, but firm, hug.

“Always glad to have you aboard the Castleship!” Coran agreed, sending him a wink.

“It hasn’t been the same without you,” Shiro said. His voice was low and soft, grey eyes alight with so much raw emotion Keith couldn’t even begin to try comprehend.

“Missed you too,” he whispered, stepping into Shiro’s embrace.

Hunk didn't last much longer, already blubbering as he yelled, “Group hug!”

No one needed persuading. Keith was quickly surrounded by his most cherished people, Pidge clinging to his waist while Lance was tucked easily against his right side.

“Welcome home,” he whispered, lips brushing the shell of Keith’s ear.

Keith wiggled slightly at the sensation. “It’s good to be ho – ack!”

Tangled together as they were, someone must have shifted too much, causing them to overbalance as one second Keith was on his feet and the next he was being squashed. The Paladins and Coran had collectively lost their footing, the whole lot of them toppling to the floor and resulting in everyone stacked in a dogpile upon Keith.

Pidge and Lance immediately burst out into laughter, Hunk complaining and Shiro rolling his eyes at them all. Coran was wiggling far too much while Allura reprimanded them for embarrassing her in front of the Coalition heads. It would all be much more amusing if Keith wasn’t currently being flattened to death.

A pair of dusty boots entered Keith’s vision and when he looked up it was to find a smiling Matt Holt looking down at him in undisguised delight.

“Matt!” Keith wheezed.

“Hey, Keith! Nice to finally see you!” Matt said.

“Good to see you too.”

Matt’s eyes danced over the pile of wiggling bodies, smile brightening. “I’d offer you a hug but you seem a little occupied?”

“Yeah, usually you'd be complaining about us messing up your mullet or something by now,” Lance quipped. His head appeared out from behind Hunk’s thigh, his eyebrows waggling at Keith as he smirked.

“You’re seriously still calling it a mullet?” Keith replied, voice deadpan.

Lance sniffed haughtily, though he couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips. “I stand by my argument!”

There was another shift and then Pidge popped up out of the mess of limbs, crossing her arms on Keith’s chest and pillowing her chin on them as she said, “I’m just surprised you haven’t kicked us off you yet. You’re usually much more agile.”

Matt snorted. “Well, he did almost off himself.” His tone was light, if a little pointed, but Keith saw the instant Matt realized what he’d just said, and the implications they would bring. Six sets of piercing eyes turned on him at once, and the Paladins burst into questions, scrambling over each other to be heard.

“Adam, a little help?” Keith called out, reaching blindly with his one free hand towards Adam. He’d been the only one to dodge the fall and was now leaned up against Keith’s still-smoking ship, watching in sly amusement as Keith suffered.

“Consider this your punishment,” Adam said, polishing his glasses and popping them back on with an evil grin.

Keith groaned, head thunking against the floor. His chest was starting to hurt, but even so, Keith couldn’t help but smile.

_It really is good to be home._

*

Once the de-briefing was done, the Coalition heads all agreeing that the issue regarding Lotor would be addressed in the morning, everyone had been treated to a light supper. The dining room was packed, laughter and chatter bouncing off the walls as drinks and snacks were passed amongst the Coalition members.

Adam had finally got the chance to meet the twins in person, both of them having accompanied Keith on the Blades’ mission. Zeffin and Zarlog were even more boisterous in person, their voices no doubt the loudest in the room. They spoke rapid-fast, finishing each other’s sentences seamlessly as one embarrassing story about Keith flowed after another. Keith was pretending not to listen where he sat at the opposite end of the table, catching up with Shiro.

However, the highlight of the evening for Adam was no doubt the moment Zeffin met Pidge. Cartoon hearts might as well have been dancing in the air as she’d knelt down, taking Pidge's hand in her own and kissing the back of it like a chivalrous knight.

“And who might this fine-looking being whose presence I have been graced with be?” she’d purred, eyes only for Pidge.

Pidge stuttered and stammered at the attention, face turning a startling fuschia pink. Matt did a spit take upon seeing his sister’s predicament, cackling as Pidge’s attention kept getting split between cussing at Matt and having a meltdown from Zeffin’s praises.

Zarlog leaned in, whispering to Adam, “Is this what one calls an experience of ‘gay panic’?”

“Right on the money,” Adam said, the two of them sharing a cheeky grin.

When everyone had eaten their fill, the last reserves of their energy now officially drained, people began filing out the dining room and towards the sleeping chambers. It was late and Allura had easily persuaded the Coalition members to stay the night rather than risk flying after everything they’d just been through.

Coran and Adam played hotel manager, assigning the rebels and Blades guest rooms and gathering any last-minute supplies needed.

It was close to two in the morning by the time Adam could finally start shuffling towards his own room. Shiro had tried to offer his help but Coran and Adam had both refused, sending the Paladins to bed almost as soon as supper was over.

Adam quietly made his way down the darkened halls, counting down the doors until he was standing outside Shiro’s room.

He lifted his hand, about to scan himself in when he hesitated.

He didn’t want to be alone with Shiro right now. It hurt him to admit, but it was the truth. There had been so much going on throughout the day, Adam’s attention bouncing from one life-threatening problem to the next, that now that his mind finally had the chance to kick up its feet and relax, his problems began resurfacing once more.

Adam’s fingers curled in on themselves like a flower with wilting petals. He stepped back away from Shiro’s door and walked towards the door on his immediate left: Keith’s room.

He hadn’t strangled Keith when he first spotted him in the hangar bay, which was a relief, though he had practically chewed his head off with his words lone. Keith had hunched in on himself, appearing smaller and smaller the louder Adam had yelled. And though he knew he could have gone on for much longer, he’d decided to reel himself in instead. He couldn’t stand the fact that he was making Keith feel even more terrible than he probably already was. He wasn’t angry at Keith, not really. He had just been so scared of losing another loved one, that the anger had begun to build, everything bottled up along with all the other messy thoughts running rampant inside his head finally given the chance to explode. But that wasn’t fair on Keith. It was no excuse for how harsh Adam had been with him.

Needing an excuse not to go to bed just yet, but also wanting to apologize, Adam figured paying Keith a quick visit wouldn’t hurt. He didn’t bother knocking, scanning his hand at the door and waltzing in like he always did.

It took less than a second for Adam to realise that the room was empty. Even without the overhead lights on, he could see the neatly made bed to his left, the sheets pristine as Keith had left them. There was a thin layer of dust everywhere, covering Keith’s bookshelf and desk in a silvery sheen.

Adam frowned. He could have sworn he saw Keith headed towards this wing of the Castle with the other Paladins.

A quick search showed that Keith’s bag wasn’t here either. Lance had checked before dinner with Kolivan whether Keith would, in fact, be staying with them for the next week. Kolivan had said yes, surprising them all with how easily he’d given in. (The twins would later inform Adam that Keith had wheedled his way into getting Kolivan's consent.) As they’d shuffled out the dining hall, Kolivan had passed Keith his overnight bag. The gesture looked strangely sweet like a father dropping his son off at his first ever sleepover. Lance had then hooked an arm over Keith’s shoulders, the two chatting quietly between themselves as they headed down the hallway together.

So, if Keith wasn’t in his room then...

Adam stepped out of Keith’s room, going one door over again now this time to Lance’s room. He scanned his hand. Opening the door, he winced at the quiet _hiss_ it emitted, worried it might wake someone up.

The overhead light was off, the only source of light being the aquamarine accents that decorated every hallway and room in the Castle. Their pearlescent glow guided Adam’s eyes to where two sleeping bodies lay on Lance’s bed.

There, sharing a single pillow, bodies curling towards each other but not quite touching, was Lance and Keith. Their breathing was almost perfectly synced, their chests rising and falling gently as Keith let out the occasional quiet snore.

Adam stayed in the doorway, not wanting to intrude, but also couldn’t help himself from leaning his body as far forward as possible just to double-check that yep, they were holding hands. While sleeping.

On his gravestone they’d have to put: Here lies Adam Wadekar, proud father and hardcore Klance shipper who died from sure cuteness overload.

Smiling quietly to himself, Adam stepped back out into the hallway, leaving the two of them to it. And as he ambled back towards his room, Adam couldn’t stop himself from thrusting a small fist into the air in triumph, the theme of an old eighties song echoing somewhere in the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on season 4! Ah, I had so much fun writing this season. As always, thanks to everyone who leaves comments and kudos, you make my day, and to all my readers, you guys are awesome. Hope you enjoyed the final chapter for seasons 4 and I'll see you soon with the Klance one-shot ^.^
> 
> EDIT
> 
> The Klance one-shot is up! You can read it here: [Far Apart Yet Oh So Near](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25169242)

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat to me on [Tumblr](https://subtlehysteria.tumblr.com) if you like!


End file.
